Plurals — making nouns and articles plural
A1Add -s after a vowel and -es after a consonant. Watch the spelling changes (-z to -ces) and remember to make the article and adjective plural too.
Forming plurals in Spanish is regular and predictable — far simpler than the gender system. The main decision is whether to add -s or -es, and that depends on the last sound of the word.
The key thing English speakers forget: when the noun goes plural, everything around it goes plural too. The article (el → los) and any adjective (rojo → rojos) must follow.
Structure: ends in vowel → + s • ends in consonant → + es
Rule 1 — words ending in a vowel add -s
- libro → libros (books)
- casa → casas (houses)
- coche → coches (cars)
- café → cafés (a stressed final vowel still just adds -s)
- Tengo dos hermanos y tres primos. I have two brothers and three cousins. hermano/primo end in vowel → + s
Rule 2 — words ending in a consonant add -es
- ciudad → ciudades (cities)
- profesor → profesores (teachers)
- papel → papeles (papers)
- rey → reyes (kings) — final -y counts as a consonant here
- Hay muchas ciudades grandes en España. There are many big cities in Spain. ciudad → ciudades; grande → grandes
Spelling changes you must watch
Two patterns trip up beginners: words ending in -z, and accents on the final syllable.
- Final -z becomes -ces: lápiz → lápices, luz → luces, vez → veces
- An accent on the last syllable usually disappears in the plural: nación → naciones, inglés → ingleses
- Words ending in -s with no stress on the last syllable don't change: el lunes → los lunes, la crisis → las crisis
- Necesito dos lápices y tres luces nuevas. I need two pencils and three new lights. z → ces
- Los lunes son difíciles. Mondays are hard. el lunes / los lunes — same form
Don't forget the article and adjective
A plural noun pulls its whole group into the plural. This is the most common slip for English speakers.
- el coche rojo → los coches rojos
- la casa blanca → las casas blancas
- una idea buena → unas ideas buenas
- Las casas blancas son bonitas. The white houses are pretty. la→las, casa→casas, blanca→blancas — all plural and feminine
Common mistakes
- ✗ los lápizs ✓ los lápices Final -z changes to -ces.
- ✗ los ciudades ✓ las ciudades ciudad is feminine, so the article is las.
- ✗ los coches rojo ✓ los coches rojos The adjective must agree in number too.