Plural Formation

A1 — Ουσιαστικά

Plural endings by gender and ending, the article ο/η/το → οι/τα, nouns in -δες, and neuter nouns in -ος

Can make the plural of common nouns, e.g. order δύο καφέδες or talk about οι φίλοι μου

Examples

Οι φίλοι μου είναι εδώ. — My friends are here.
Τα βιβλία είναι στο τραπέζι. — The books are on the table.
Δύο καφέδες, παρακαλώ. — Two coffees, please.

NounsA1

Plural Formation

Plural endings by gender and ending, the article ο/η/το → οι/τα, nouns in -δες, and neuter nouns in -ος

Learning Goal

Can make the plural of common nouns, e.g. order δύο καφέδες or talk about οι φίλοι μου

Exam Skills:Ελληνομάθεια A1 · WritingΕλληνομάθεια A1

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Οι φίλοι μου είναι εδώ.

My friends are here.

Τα βιβλία είναι στο τραπέζι.

The books are on the table.

Δύο καφέδες, παρακαλώ.

Two coffees, please.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Romanisation follows today's pronunciation, with the stressed vowel marked: th = θ as in "think", dh = δ as in "this", ch = χ as in Scottish "loch", gh = γ (y before e and i sounds).

Greek has no single plural ending like English -s. The plural depends on the gender and the ending of the singular, and the article changes with it: ο → οι, η → οι, το → τα.

The main patterns

Singular	Plural	Example
masc. -ος	-οι	ο φίλος → οι φίλοι (fíli) friends
masc. -ης	-ες	ο μαθητής → οι μαθητές (mathités) pupils
masc. -ας	-ες	ο άντρας → οι άντρες (ándres) men
fem. -α	-ες	η ντομάτα → οι ντομάτες (domátes) tomatoes
fem. -η	-ες	η φωνή → οι φωνές (fonés) voices
neut. -ο	-α	το βιβλίο → τα βιβλία (vivlía) books
neut. -ι	-ια	το παιδί → τα παιδιά (pedhiá) children
neut. -μα	-ματα	το όνομα → τα ονόματα (onómata) names
neut. -ος	-η	το λάθος → τα λάθη (láthi) mistakes

Notice that four different singulars share the plural -ες, so masculine and feminine plurals often look alike: οι μαθητές and οι φωνές share the ending and the article, and the dictionary, or an agreeing adjective, tells you the gender.

Things to watch

Stress may move. A word cannot be stressed further back than the third-to-last syllable, so όνομα → ονόματα moves its stress, while γράμμα → γράμματα keeps it.
Nouns in -ι take -ια. If the singular is stressed on the -ί, the stress moves onto the -ά: το κλειδί → τα κλειδιά (klidhiá, keys); otherwise it stays put: το πορτοκάλι → τα πορτοκάλια (portokália, oranges).
A group in -δες. Many everyday words stressed on the last syllable add -δες: ο καφές → οι καφέδες, ο παππούς → οι παππούδες, η γιαγιά → οι γιαγιάδες, η μαμά → οι μαμάδες.
Feminine -ος takes -οι like the masculine: η οδός → οι οδοί.

In sentences

Θέλω δύο καφέδες και τρία νερά. - I'd like two coffees and three waters.
Οι παππούδες μου μένουν στη Νάξο. - My grandparents live on Naxos.
Τα πορτοκάλια της Αργολίδας είναι γλυκά. - Oranges from the Argolis are sweet.

For English speakers

English adds -s and leaves "the" alone. In Greek the article, the noun ending and any adjective all change together, so a plural that changes only one of them is incomplete.

*οι φίλος → οι φίλοι.
*τα παιδίς / *τα παιδί → τα παιδιά.
*οι καφές for "the coffees" → οι καφέδες.
*τα λάθοι → τα λάθη (neuter -ος is not masculine -ος).

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

English adds -s; Greek chooses the ending by gender and singular ending, and the article changes too: ο → οι, η → οι, το → τα. Change the ending as well as the article: *οι φίλος → οι φίλοι, *τα παιδί → τα παιδιά. Words like ο καφές, ο παππούς, η γιαγιά add -δες (*οι καφές for 'the coffees' → οι καφέδες). Neuter -ος is not masculine -ος: *τα λάθοι → τα λάθη.

Common Error Patterns

Changing the article but not the noun (*οι φίλος, *τα παιδί)

Both change: οι φίλοι, τα παιδιά.

Missing the -δες plural (*οι καφές for "the coffees")

ο καφές → οι καφέδες, ο παππούς → οι παππούδες, η γιαγιά → οι γιαγιάδες.

Making a neuter -ος noun plural like a masculine (*τα λάθοι)

Neuter -ος nouns take -η: τα λάθη, τα δάση.

Οι φίλοι μου είναι εδώ.

My friends are here.

φίλος → φίλοι and ο → οι: masculine -ος takes -οι.

Τα βιβλία είναι στο τραπέζι.

The books are on the table.

βιβλίο → βιβλία and το → τα: neuter -ο takes -α.

Δύο καφέδες, παρακαλώ.

Two coffees, please.

ο καφές → οι καφέδες: words stressed on the last syllable like καφές add -δες in the plural.

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Frequently asked questions

When do you use Plural Formation?: Romanisation follows today's pronunciation, with the stressed vowel marked: th = θ as in "think", dh = δ as in "this", ch = χ as in Scottish "loch", gh = γ (y before e and i sounds).
How do you form Plural Formation?: Greek has no single plural ending like English -s. The plural depends on the gender and the ending of the singular, and the article changes with it: ο → οι, η → οι, το → τα. Notice that four different singulars share the plural -ες, so masculine and feminine plurals often look alike: οι μαθητές and οι φωνές share the ending and the article, and the dictionary, or an agreeing adjective, tells you the gender. English adds -s and leaves "the" alone. In Greek the article, the noun ending and any adjective all change together, so a plural that changes only one of them is incomplete.
What are common mistakes with Plural Formation?: English adds -s; Greek chooses the ending by gender and singular ending, and the article changes too: ο → οι, η → οι, το → τα. Change the ending as well as the article: *οι φίλος → οι φίλοι, *τα παιδί → τα παιδιά. Words like ο καφές, ο παππούς, η γιαγιά add -δες (*οι καφές for 'the coffees' → οι καφέδες). Neuter -ος is not masculine -ος: *τα λάθοι → τα λάθη.

Singular

Plural

Example

masc. -ος

-οι

ο φίλος → οι φίλοι (fíli) friends

masc. -ης

-ες

ο μαθητής → οι μαθητές (mathités) pupils

masc. -ας

-ες

ο άντρας → οι άντρες (ándres) men

fem. -α

-ες

η ντομάτα → οι ντομάτες (domátes) tomatoes

fem. -η

-ες

η φωνή → οι φωνές (fonés) voices

neut. -ο

-α

το βιβλίο → τα βιβλία (vivlía) books

neut. -ι

-ια

το παιδί → τα παιδιά (pedhiá) children

neut. -μα

-ματα

το όνομα → τα ονόματα (onómata) names

neut. -ος

-η

το λάθος → τα λάθη (láthi) mistakes

Frequently asked questions

When do you use Plural Formation?

Romanisation follows today's pronunciation, with the stressed vowel marked: th = θ as in "think", dh = δ as in "this", ch = χ as in Scottish "loch", gh = γ (y before e and i sounds).

How do you form Plural Formation?

Greek has no single plural ending like English -s. The plural depends on the gender and the ending of the singular, and the article changes with it: ο → οι, η → οι, το → τα. Notice that four different singulars share the plural -ες, so masculine and feminine plurals often look alike: οι μαθητές and οι φωνές share the ending and the article, and the dictionary, or an agreeing adjective, tells you the gender. English adds -s and leaves "the" alone. In Greek the article, the noun ending and any adjective all change together, so a plural that changes only one of them is incomplete.

What are common mistakes with Plural Formation?