Dutch grammar: meervoud van zelfstandige naamwoorden

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

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.