Ik heb twee boeken.
English: I have two books.
- Language
- Dutch
- Level
- B1
- Unit
- Zelfstandige naamwoorden en hoeveelheden
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
The plural of Dutch nouns is how you show that there is more than one person, animal, thing, or idea. In Dutch, nouns usually change their ending to form the plural.
When to use it
Use the plural form when you talk about more than one of something in Dutch, like several people, animals, or objects.
Key forms
- Most nouns add -en: boek → boeken
- Some nouns add -s: auto → auto's
- If the noun ends in -el, -em, -en, -er, -aar, -ier, -eur, -or, often add -s: tafel → tafels
- Pay attention to changes in vowels or spelling: man → mannen
Examples
De kinderen spelen buiten.
English: The children are playing outside.
Er staan drie auto's op de straat.
English: There are three cars on the street.
De honden slapen.
English: The dogs are sleeping.
Mijn vrienden komen morgen.
English: My friends are coming tomorrow.
Tips
- Most Dutch plurals use -en or -s, but not both together.
- Watch out for double consonants or changes in vowels when adding -en.
- Nouns ending in a vowel usually take -'s (with an apostrophe) to make pronunciation easier.
Exceptions and edge cases
- Some words have irregular plurals, like kind → kinderen or ei → eieren.
- A few nouns do not change in the plural, like het meisje → de meisjes.