Plural of nouns (-s, -es, -ões, -ais)
Most Portuguese nouns form the plural with -s, but words ending in -ão, -l, -r, -z and -m change their ending. The article and adjectives change with the noun: os livros novos.
| singular ending | plural | example |
|---|---|---|
| vowel | +s | casa → casas, café → cafés |
| -r, -z, -s (stressed) | +es | flor → flores, luz → luzes, país → países |
| -m | -ns | homem → homens, jardim → jardins |
| -al, -el, -ol, -ul | -ais, -éis, -óis, -uis | animal → animais, papel → papéis |
| -il (stressed) | -is | funil → funis |
| -ão | mostly -ões; some -ães, -ãos | lição → lições, pão → pães, mão → mãos |
Words that need care
- Unstressed -s does not change: o lápis → os lápis, o ônibus → os ônibus.
- The -ão plural has to be learned word by word: cidadãos, alemães, aviões. When in doubt, -ões is the commonest.
- Mass nouns stay singular as in English: Tem pão? Uncountable in English but countable in Portuguese: um conselho (a piece of advice), as notícias (the news, plural!).
Examples
- Tenho dois irmãos e três irmãs.I have two brothers and three sisters.
- Os hotéis aqui são caros.The hotels here are expensive.
- Comprei flores para a minha mãe.I bought flowers for my mother.
- Os homens estão no jardim.The men are in the garden.
- Quantos pães você quer?How many bread rolls do you want?
Common mistakes
- ✗ Tenho dois animals.✓ Tenho dois animais.Nouns in -al drop the l and add -is; adding -s as in English “animals” gives a form that does not exist.
- ✗ Os homems trabalham aqui.✓ Os homens trabalham aqui.Portuguese spelling never puts m before s, so -m becomes -ns: homem → homens; English “-s” on the end looks natural but is wrong.
- ✗ Quero duas flors.✓ Quero duas flores.Nouns ending in -r add -es, because Portuguese does not end a word in -rs; English simply adds -s.
- ✗ As liçãos são fáceis.✓ As lições são fáceis.Most -ão nouns, including lição, form the plural in -ões; -ãos is only for a small group such as mãos and irmãos.
- ✗ As notícias é boa.✓ As notícias são boas.notícias is plural in Portuguese, so the verb and adjective are plural; English “the news is” treats it as singular.