Regular plurals: add -s
Most nouns simply add -s:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| cat | cats |
| book | books |
| dog | dogs |
| teacher | teachers |
| car | cars |
Spelling rules
| Rule | When | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| add -es | After -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -z | bus → buses · box → boxes · watch → watches |
| change -y → -ies | Consonant + y | baby → babies · city → cities · family → families |
| keep -ys | Vowel + y | day → days · boy → boys · key → keys |
| add -es | After -o (some words) | potato → potatoes · tomato → tomatoes |
| change -f/-fe → -ves | Some words ending in -f/-fe | leaf → leaves · knife → knives · wife → wives |
Irregular plurals
These plurals must be memorised — they don't follow any pattern:
| Singular | Plural | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| man | men | hombre → hombres |
| woman | women | mujer → mujeres |
| child | children | niño → niños |
| person | people | persona → personas |
| tooth | teeth | diente → dientes |
| foot | feet | pie → pies |
| mouse | mice | ratón → ratones |
| fish | fish | pez/peces (same form) |
| sheep | sheep | oveja/ovejas (same form) |
peoples vs people:
people is already plural — never say "peoples" when talking about persons. "There are many people here." However, "peoples" (with -s) is used in formal/political contexts to mean "ethnic groups or nations" — a very different meaning.
Exercise
1. What is the plural of "child"?
2. What is the plural of "city"?
3. There are five ______ in the garden. (one woman → several)
4. What is the plural of "box"?
5. There are many ______ in the lake. (one fish → many)