A few Dutch nouns have two plurals, and the plural you pick usually signals the meaning: _bladen_ are magazines, _bladeren_ are leaves; _benen_ are legs, _beenderen_ are bones. Other nouns work the other way round. Words like _de kosten_ (costs) and _de hersenen_ (brain) are normally used in the plural, so they take a plural verb, even where English uses a singular.
The pattern
Some nouns have two plurals that usually differ in meaning; others have two plurals with the same meaning. A few nouns are normally used in the plural, and they take a plural verb.
- _het blad_: _de bladeren_ are leaves (you may also hear _blaren_), _de bladen_ are magazines, and trays in _de dienbladen_
- _het been_: _de benen_ are legs, _de beenderen_ are bones
- The singular does not tell you which meaning you have: _een blad_ can be a leaf or a magazine. The plural usually does. The long forms are not used for magazines or legs, but the short forms _bladen_ and _benen_ sometimes also mean leaves and bones.
- Some nouns have two plurals with the same meaning, like _zoons_ and _zonen_. Both are correct, so you cannot go wrong there.
- Normally plural: _de kosten_ (costs), _de hersenen_ (brain), _de notulen_ (minutes of a meeting), _de gegevens_ (personal details, data)
- _de ouders_ (parents): you hear the plural far more often, but the singular is normal when you mean one parent, as in _een alleenstaande ouder_ (a single parent).
- Plural noun, plural verb: _De kosten zijn hoog._ Group nouns like _de familie_ work differently, see [Group nouns and verb agreement](#/lesson/collective-nouns).
Examples
| In de herfst liggen er overal bladeren op het fietspad. | In autumn there are leaves all over the cycle path. |
|---|---|
| Bij de kapper liggen altijd oude bladen op tafel. | At the hairdresser's there are always old magazines on the table. |
| Lotte had zo lang gefietst dat haar benen trilden. | Lotte had cycled for so long that her legs were shaking. |
| In het museum zie je de beenderen van een mammoet. | In the museum you can see the bones of a mammoth. |
| De kosten van de cursus zijn hoger dan Carlos dacht. | The cost of the course is higher than Carlos thought. |
| Als je slecht slaapt, werken je hersenen minder goed. | If you sleep badly, your brain works less well. |
| Fatima's ouders komen in juni uit Marokko op bezoek. | Fatima's parents are coming over from Morocco in June. |
| Wilt u controleren of uw gegevens nog kloppen? | Could you check whether your details are still correct? |
| Mei zoekt haar bril, maar die zit gewoon op haar hoofd. | Mei is looking for her glasses, but they're right there on her head. |
Why it works this way
Centuries ago, a group of _het_-words made their plural with _-er_, as German still does. Later, Dutch added _-en_ on top, which is why you say _kinderen_, _eieren_ and _liederen_ (see [Irregular plurals](#/lesson/irregular-plurals)). _Blad_ and _been_ belonged to that group, and they also got an ordinary plural. Over time, the two plurals became linked to different meanings, although the split is not absolute. A handy way to see it: the long _-eren_ form goes with the oldest meaning. Leaves came long before magazines, and _been_ first meant bone (compare English bone).
In everyday speech, bones are usually _botten_ these days: _Daan heeft een bot gebroken._ _Beenderen_ sounds more formal, the word of museums and news reports.
Mostly plural nouns have no deep logic: each language decides for itself what counts as a collection. Dutch says _de kosten zijn_ where English says the cost is, and _je hersenen werken_ where English says your brain works. Informally you also hear _hersens_. _De ouders_ is simply a very frequent plural: the singular _de ouder_ is common whenever you mean one parent. English makes the opposite choice with trousers, scissors and glasses: _de broek_, _de schaar_ and _de bril_ are singular.
Remember: the long plural belongs on the forest floor. Fallen _bladeren_ and old _beenderen_ end up on the ground; _bladen_ lie on the coffee table and _benen_ get you to the station.
Watch out
- Not: _De kosten is te hoog._ Say: _De kosten zijn te hoog._ (_kosten_ is plural, so the verb is plural too)
- Not: _Mijn hersenen werkt vandaag niet._ Say: _Mijn hersenen werken vandaag niet._ (English says brain, Dutch counts it as plural)
- Not: _Ik lees graag bladeren over koken._ Say: _Ik lees graag bladen over koken._ (magazines are _bladen_, _bladeren_ grow on trees)
- Not: _Mijn broek zijn nat van de regen._ Say: _Mijn broek is nat van de regen._ (one pair of trousers is one _broek_)
- Not: _Mijn beenen doen pijn._ Say: _Mijn benen doen pijn._ (open syllable, so one e)
Quick check
- Choose: _In de wachtkamer van de huisarts liggen stapels oude (bladen / bladeren)._
- Fill in the present tense of _zijn_: _De kosten van onze verhuizing ... hoger dan we hadden gedacht._
- Choose: _Na een lange fietstocht legt Emma thuis haar (benen / beenderen) omhoog op de bank._
- Fix the sentence: _Mijn bril zijn weer zoek._
Answers
- _bladen_: these are magazines, and _bladeren_ is not used for magazines.
- _zijn_: _kosten_ is plural.
- _benen_: these are legs, and _beenderen_ is not used for legs.
- _Mijn bril is weer zoek._ _De bril_ is singular in Dutch, even though English says glasses.
Use it today
Next time you sit in a waiting room or on the train, describe what is lying around in one Dutch sentence, such as _Er liggen bladen op tafel_ or, in autumn, _Er liggen bladeren op het perron_. Then pick one bill this week and say out loud what it costs, starting with _De kosten zijn ..._.