You use the plural when there is more than one: één boek, twee boeken (one book, two books). Dutch almost always makes the plural with -en or -s. Sometimes the spelling of the word changes too.
The main rule: -en or -s
About three in four words take -en, so that is your best guess. For -s there are clear rules.
With -en
- Most words: boek, boeken (books). Bord, borden (plates). Deur, deuren (doors).
- Words of one syllable: hand, handen. Fiets, fietsen (bikes).
- Not sure? Choose -en.
With -s
- Words ending in -el, -er, -en or -em: tafel, tafels (tables). Vader, vaders. Keuken, keukens (kitchens).
- Diminutives: koekje, koekjes (biscuits). Meisje, meisjes (girls).
- Words ending in a, o, u, i or y take 's: auto's, foto's, menu's.
Sometimes the spelling changes
With -en the spelling sometimes changes a little. These are normal Dutch spelling rules. They make sure you pronounce the word the same way.
| Rule | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Short vowel: double the consonant | bal, kat, bed | ballen, katten, bedden |
| Long vowel: drop one vowel letter | raam, boom, muur | ramen, bomen, muren |
| f becomes v | brief, wolf | brieven, wolven |
| s becomes z | huis, prijs, reis | huizen, prijzen, reizen |
The f and s become v and z after a long vowel sound. After ou the s usually stays: kous, kousen (socks). After a short vowel it stays an s as well. It just doubles: kus, kussen (kisses).
Words that do their own thing
A small group of common words does not follow the rules. Learn these by heart. Some take -eren. In others the short vowel becomes long.
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| het kind | de kinderen | children |
| het ei | de eieren | eggs |
| het blad | de bladeren or de bladen | leaves, or sheets of paper |
| het kalf | de kalveren | calves |
| de stad | de steden | cities |
| het schip | de schepen | ships |
| de weg | de wegen | roads |
| de dag | de dagen | days |
| het glas | de glazen | glasses |