B1 · Nouns: gender, plural, compounds
Borrowed words and their plurals
das Auto, die Autos; das Thema, die Themen
The -s plural belongs to borrowed words, and Greek and Latin words keep their own endings.
At a glance
- Remember
- English and French take -s; Latin and Greek keep their own.
- Form
- das Auto → die Autos-s
- Signal words
- -s
- -um
- -a
- -us
- -ion
- Fremdwort
- Trap
- Wrong:die Themas, die MuseumsRight:die Themen, die Museen
Your turn
5 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
The form
From the base form to the new form
Each row first says what the form expresses, then shows it in German: the base form before the arrow, the result after it.
| -s | das Auto → die Autos |
| -um → -en | das Museum → die Museen |
| -um → -a | das Praktikum → die Praktika |
| -a → -en | das Thema → die Themen |
| -us → -en | der Rhythmus → die Rhythmen |
| unchanged | der Computer → die Computer |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Borrowed words from English and French take -s.
zwei Hotels, drei Restaurantstwo hotels, three restaurants
Latin words in -um form the plural in -en or -a.
das Zentrum → die Zentrenthe centre → the centres
A word already ending in -er, -en or -el usually stays unchanged.
der Computer → die Computerthe computer → the computers
The gender has to be learned with the word.
die E-Mail, der Laptop, das Handythe e-mail, the laptop, the mobile
Example sentences
Wir haben zwei Autos.We have two cars.
Die Museen sind montags zu.The museums are closed on Mondays.
Sie schreibt drei E-Mails.She is writing three e-mails.
Die Themen stehen im Programm.The topics are in the programme.
Er macht zwei Praktika.He is doing two internships.
6 more example sentences
Es gibt zwei Restaurants im Ort.There are two restaurants in the village.
Die Visa sind fertig.The visas are ready.
Beide Zentren sind geschlossen.Both centres are closed.
Wir brauchen neue Laptops.We need new laptops.
Die Diskussionen dauerten lange.The discussions went on a long time.
Zwei Kilos? Nein: zwei Kilo.Two kilos? No: zwei Kilo.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The -s plural is not a general German plural and cannot be attached to anything that looks foreign. It belongs to words borrowed from English and French; words from Latin and Greek kept their own endings when German took them, and those are the ones that appear in academic and official texts most often. Learning the plural with the word is the only reliable route.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
German has four native plural patterns — -e, -er, -(e)n and none — and a fifth that arrived with borrowed words: -s. It appears on words taken from English and French and on abbreviations: das Auto → die Autos, das Hotel → die Hotels, der Chef → die Chefs, die CD → die CDs. Native German nouns almost never take it.
Words from Latin and Greek often keep their original plural instead. Das Thema → die Themen, das Museum → die Museen, der Rhythmus → die Rhythmen, das Praktikum → die Praktika. The -um group is the largest and the most predictable: drop the -um and add -en or -a.
Gender for a borrowed word is not derivable and has to be learned, with one useful tendency: a borrowed word usually takes the gender of the German word closest in meaning. Die E-Mail follows die Post; der Laptop follows der Rechner. It is a hint, not a rule, and German speakers disagree about several.
A closer look
The words German did not borrow
German has a strong habit of building its own word rather than taking one: Fernseherfor televisionKühlschrankfor refrigeratorKrankenhausfor hospitalWörterbuchfor dictionary Each is transparent from its parts, which makes them easier than the international word would have been.
Where both exist, they are often not synonyms. Das Handy is a mobile phone and is not English; English speakers say "mobile" or "cell phone". Der Beamer is a projector. These are German words built out of English parts, and using them in English does not work.
Exceptions and special cases2
Exception
When a family name is used in the plural
then it takes -s.
die Müllersthe Müllers
Why? The -s plural spread from borrowed words to names.
Exception
When a borrowed word has been in German a long time
then it often takes a German plural instead.
die Filme, die Bankenthe films, the banks
Why? Older borrowings assimilate: der Film → die Filme, not "die Films".
Worth knowing2
Worth knowing
The apostrophe question
The -s plural is written without an apostrophe: die Autos, die CDs, die DVDs. Signs get this wrong constantly, and German has a nickname for the mistake — Deppenapostroph. Correct German uses one only to mark a missing letter, or after a name that already ends in an s-sound: Hans’ Buch.
Worth knowing
Measurements stay singular
Masculine and neuter units of measurement do not take a plural after a number: zwei Kilo, drei Glas Wasser, fünf Euro. Feminine ones do: zwei Flaschen, drei Tassen.
How well do you know this topic?
This is filled in automatically after you practise. You can change it here at any time.
Next on the path: 105 · Possessive pronouns: meinsBack to the learning path
The verbs on this page, in every form: sein · haben · stehen · machen · schreiben