Many Dutch nouns form their plural (the form for more than one) with _-s_. This is usual for nouns ending in an unstressed (said without emphasis) _-el_, _-em_, _-en_ or _-er_, for diminutives (small forms) in _-je_, and for many borrowed words: _tafels_, _meisjes_, _films_. After a single final a, i, o or u, write _'s_: _auto's_.
The pattern
Most nouns with an unstressed _-el_, _-em_, _-en_ or _-er_ at the end, all diminutives and many loanwords take _-s_. After a single final a, i, o or u, or a y after a consonant, the _-s_ becomes _'s_.
- Weak endings: _de tafel_, _tafels_; _de bezem_, _bezems_ (brooms); _de jongen_, _jongens_; _de kamer_, _kamers_.
- Diminutives: _het meisje_, _meisjes_; _het broodje_, _broodjes_ (bread rolls).
- Loanwords (borrowed words): _de computer_, _computers_; _de film_, _films_; _het hotel_, _hotels_.
- With _'s_: _de auto_, _auto's_; _de taxi_, _taxi's_; _de baby_, _baby's_.
- No apostrophe after a vowel combination: _het cadeau_, _cadeaus_ (presents); _het essay_, _essays_.
Examples
| In de keuken staan twee tafels. | There are two tables in the kitchen. |
|---|---|
| De jongens fietsen naar school. | The boys cycle to school. |
| Fatima koopt zes broodjes. | Fatima buys six bread rolls. |
| Daan kijkt graag films. | Daan likes watching films. |
| Voor het huis staan drie auto's. | There are three cars in front of the house. |
| In de trein huilen twee baby's. | Two babies are crying on the train. |
| Sanne krijgt veel cadeaus. | Sanne gets a lot of presents. |
Why it works this way
Word stress (which part of a word you say loudest) helps explain the weak endings. _De bel_ (doorbell) is one stressed beat and gets the usual ending from [Plurals with -en](#/lesson/plural-en): _bellen_. In _tafel_ the last beat is already a soft "uh". A second soft beat would drag, so _tafels_ just adds a quick _-s_. Many loanwords take _-s_ even with stress at the end: _hotels_.
This is a strong tendency, not an iron law: a few nouns with a weak ending take _-en_, such as _de engel_, _engelen_ (angel). Learn each noun with its plural, and find the real rebels in [Irregular plurals](#/lesson/irregular-plurals).
Remember: the apostrophe is a small fence around a single vowel letter at the end, so nobody reads _autos_ with a short o, as in _bos_. A vowel combination needs no fence: _cadeaus_.
Watch out
- Not: _drie kameren_ Say: _drie kamers_ (weak last syllable, so just _-s_)
- Not: _de autos_ Say: _de auto's_ (the apostrophe keeps the o long)
- Not: _twee cadeau's_ Say: _twee cadeaus_ (no apostrophe after a vowel combination)
- Not: _veel boeks_ Say: _veel boeken_ (English habit: _boek_ takes _-en_)
Quick check
- Fill in the plural: Joris heeft twee ... . (sleutel)
- Choose: Mei bestelt twee (pizzas / pizza's / pizzaën).
- Fill in the plural: Carlos koopt vier ... . (broodje)
- Fix the sentence: Ahmed werkt met drie laptop's.
Answers
- _sleutels_ (unstressed _-el_)
- _pizza's_ (single final a)
- _broodjes_ (diminutives take _-s_)
- _Ahmed werkt met drie laptops._ (no apostrophe after a consonant)
Use it today
Write your next shopping list in Dutch with at least four s-plurals, such as _zes broodjes_, _twee pizza's_ and _vier appels_. Say each item out loud in the supermarket.