French Plural: Easy Guide, Examples and Exercises

1. The General Rule: Just Add -S!

The most common way to form the plural in French is straightforward: simply add an -s to the end of the singular noun.

Examples:

• Un livre (A book) → Des livres (Some books)
• Une porte (A door) → Des portes (Some doors)
• Une couleur (A color) → Des couleurs (Some colors)
• Un garçon (A boy) → Des garçons (Some boys)

2. Nouns Ending in -S, -X, or -Z: No Change!

This is a neat trick! If a singular noun already ends in -s, -x, or -z, its plural form remains exactly the same. You only change the article that precedes it (e.g., un/une to des, le/la to les).

Examples:

• Un nez (A nose) → Des nez (Some noses)
• Un bras (An arm) → Des bras (Some arms)
• Un pas (A step) → Des pas (Some steps)
• Une voix (A voice) → Des voix (Some voices)
• Une croix (A cross) → Des croix (Some crosses)

3. Nouns Ending in -EAU, -EU, and -OU: Add -X!

For most nouns ending in -eau, -eu, or -ou, you generally add an -x to form the plural.

Examples:

• -eau → -eaux
  • Un château (A castle) → Des châteaux (Some castles)
  • Un bateau (A boat) → Des bateaux (Some boats)
• -eu → -eux
  • Un cheveu (A hair) → Des cheveux (Some hairs)
    • (Note: In English, “hair” is often uncountable. In French, “cheveu” refers to a single strand, so it has a plural form!)
• -ou → -oux (Only 7 words follow this rule! The rest add -s)
  • Un genou (A knee) → Des genoux (Some knees)
  • Un bijou (A jewel) → Des bijoux (Some jewels)
  • The seven “ou” words that take -x are: bijou, caillou, chou, genou, hibou, joujou, pou. All other “-ou” words follow the general rule of adding -s (e.g., clou → clous).

4. Nouns Ending in -AL and -AIL: Often Become -AUX!

These endings have a strong tendency to change, but also notable exceptions.

• -al → -aux (Common for many nouns)

  • Un journal (A newspaper) → Des journaux (Some newspapers)
  • Un animal (An animal) → Des animaux (Some animals)
  • Exceptions! A small group of words ending in -al simply add -s: un bal (a dance) → des bals; un carnaval (a carnival) → des carnavals; un festival (a festival) → des festivals; un régal (a treat) → des régals; un chacal (a jackal) → des chacals; un cal (a callus) → des cals.

• -ail → -aux (For specific nouns, often older forms)

  • Un vitrail (A stained-glass window) → Des vitraux (Some stained-glass windows)
  • Exceptions! Most words ending in -ail follow the general rule and just add -s: un travail (a piece of work) → des travaux (works, usually meaning construction works, or sometimes pieces of art), BUT if referring to “labor” or “job”, it’s usually des travails only in specific, older contexts. un portail (a gate) → des portails. Other exceptions that add -s include bail, corail, émail, soupirail, ventail.

5. Truly Irregular Plurals

A very small number of French nouns have completely irregular plural forms that don’t follow any general rules. You just have to learn these!

Example:

• Un œil (An eye) → Des yeux (Some eyes)