Plural formation: -en, -s, -'s rules with spelling changes
Can form Dutch plurals with correct spelling
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
De kinderen spelen in de tuin.
The children play in the garden.
Ik heb twee auto's en drie fietsen.
I have two cars and three bikes.
De brieven liggen op de tafels.
The letters are on the tables.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
English makes nearly every plural with -s. Dutch has two main endings, -en and -s, and the choice mostly depends on how the word ends and where the stress falls. The tricky part for English speakers is not the ending but the spelling changes that come with -en.
| Ending | When | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -en | the default, especially after a stressed syllable | boek → boeken, fiets → fietsen, trein → treinen |
| -s | after unstressed -el, -em, -en, -er, -je | tafel → tafels, bezem → bezems, keuken → keukens, kamer → kamers, broodje → broodjes |
| -'s | after a long vowel spelled a, i, o, u, y | auto → auto's, foto → foto's, menu → menu's, baby → baby's |
The apostrophe in auto's looks wrong to English eyes, but it is standard Dutch: without it, *autos would be read with a short o. It has nothing to do with possession.
Dutch spelling marks vowel length by syllable. When -en adds a syllable, the spelling adjusts so the vowel keeps its sound:
| Change | Singular | Plural | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| long vowel: one letter is enough | maan (moon) | manen | open syllable ma- already sounds long |
| long vowel | boom (tree) | bomen | same rule |
| short vowel: double the consonant | man | mannen | ma-nen would sound long |
| short vowel | bus | bussen | same rule |
| f → v | brief (letter) | brieven | the sound turns voiced between vowels |
| s → z | huis (house) | huizen | same |
The f/v and s/z switch is common but not automatic: kus → kussen and dans → dansen keep their s. Learn the plural together with the noun, the way you learn its article.
A small group adds -eren: kind → kinderen, ei → eieren, lam → lammeren. A few change the vowel: stad → steden, schip → schepen, lid → leden. Words in -heid become -heden: mogelijkheid → mogelijkheden.
Whatever the singular, the plural takes de: het huis → de huizen, het broodje → de broodjes, het kind → de kinderen. So in the plural you can stop worrying about de or het.
At the market in Gouda you might hear: Twee kilo appels en drie stukken kaas, graag. - Two kilos of apples and three pieces of cheese, please. Note appels (unstressed -el) next to stukken (short vowel, doubled k).
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesWrong spelling in plural form
Check: vowel simplification (maan→manen), consonant doubling (man→mannen), f→v, s→z.
De kinderen spelen in de tuin.
The children play in the garden.
'Kind' → 'kinderen' (irregular plural, adds -eren).
Ik heb twee auto's en drie fietsen.
I have two cars and three bikes.
'Auto' ends in vowel → auto's (with apostrophe-s). 'Fiets' → fietsen (standard -en).
De brieven liggen op de tafels.
The letters are on the tables.
'Brief' → 'brieven' (f→v in plural). 'Tafel' → 'tafels' (-s after -el).
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Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises