Understanding French Plurals
French plural formation follows predictable patterns, though there are important exceptions to learn. Most French nouns form their plural by adding -s, but the ending of the singular noun determines the exact rule.
Unlike English, French plural markers affect not just the noun but also articles, adjectives, and sometimes pronunciation.
The key is learning the patterns based on how the singular noun ends.
Examples
un livre → des livres (a book → some books)
Regular -s plural with article change
le château → les châteaux (the castle → the castles)
Irregular -x plural with article change
Regular Plural Formation: Add -S
The majority of French nouns form their plural by simply adding -s to the singular form. This is the default rule.
Standard -S Plurals
Most nouns follow this simple pattern:
Regular Plural Formation
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| livre | livres | book → books |
| table | tables | table → tables |
| ami | amis | friend → friends |
| voiture | voitures | car → cars |
| maison | maisons | house → houses |
| enfant | enfants | child → children |
Nouns Already Ending in -S, -X, -Z
Nouns ending in -s, -x, or -z remain unchanged in the plural:
Unchanged Plurals
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| le fils | les fils | son → sons (no change) |
| la voix | les voix | voice → voices (no change) |
| le nez | les nez | nose → noses (no change) |
| le prix | les prix | price → prices (no change) |
Nouns Ending in -AU, -EAU, -EU: Add -X
Nouns ending in -au, -eau, or -eu form their plural by adding -x instead of -s.
This is a consistent pattern with very few exceptions.
-EAU Endings (Most Common)
Very common pattern, especially with -eau nouns:
-EAU → -EAUX
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| château | châteaux | castle → castles |
| bureau | bureaux | office → offices |
| cadeau | cadeaux | gift → gifts |
| bateau | bateaux | boat → boats |
| gâteau | gâteaux | cake → cakes |
| niveau | niveaux | level → levels |
-EU and -AU Endings
Less common but follow the same -x pattern:
-EU/-AU → -EUX/-AUX
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| jeu | jeux | game → games |
| feu | feux | fire → fires |
| lieu | lieux | place → places |
| tuyau | tuyaux | pipe → pipes |
Important Exceptions
A few nouns ending in -eu add -s instead of -x:
pneu → pneus (tire → tires)
bleu → bleus (blue → blues)
Nouns Ending in -AL: Change to -AUX
Most nouns ending in -al change to -aux in the plural. This involves changing both the ending and sometimes the pronunciation.
Regular -AL → -AUX Pattern
Most -al nouns follow this pattern:
-AL → -AUX
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| animal | animaux | animal → animals |
| journal | journaux | newspaper → newspapers |
| hôpital | hôpitaux | hospital → hospitals |
| cheval | chevaux | horse → horses |
| canal | canaux | canal → canals |
Exceptions: -AL → -ALS
Some -al nouns simply add -s:
Exceptions: Add -S Only
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| festival | festivals | festival → festivals |
| bal | bals | ball/dance → balls |
| carnaval | carnavals | carnival → carnivals |
| récital | récitals | recital → recitals |
Irregular Plurals
Some French nouns have completely irregular plural forms that must be memorized:
Common Irregular Plurals
These important nouns have unique plural forms:
Irregular Plural Forms
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| œil | yeux | eye → eyes |
| ciel | cieux | sky → skies |
| travail | travaux | work → works |
| vitrail | vitraux | stained glass → stained glass windows |
Compound Nouns
Compound nouns have special plural rules:
grand-mère → grands-mères (grandmother → grandmothers)
Both parts change when both are variable
tire-bouchon → tire-bouchons (corkscrew → corkscrews)
Only the noun part changes
après-midi → après-midi (afternoon → afternoons)
Some compound nouns don't change
Plural Agreement Rules
When nouns become plural, other sentence elements must agree:
Articles: le/la → les, un/une → des
Adjectives: Must agree in number (and gender)
Verbs: May need plural conjugation with plural subjects
This agreement is essential for grammatical correctness.
Examples
le petit chat → les petits chats
Article and adjective both become plural
une grande maison → des grandes maisons
Article and adjective agree with plural noun
Le chat mange. → Les chats mangent.
Verb conjugation changes with plural subject
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Here are frequent errors students make with French plurals:
1. Wrong plural ending: Using -s instead of -x for -eau nouns
2. Forgetting agreement: Not making adjectives plural
3. Irregular forms: Using regular patterns for irregular nouns
4. Already plural: Adding -s to nouns ending in -s/-x/-z
Examples
❌ châteaus → ✅ châteaux
Wrong: -eau nouns need -x, not -s
❌ les petit chats → ✅ les petits chats
Wrong: adjective must agree in plural
❌ œils → ✅ yeux
Wrong: irregular plural must be memorized