Forming the plural of Dutch nouns is one of the first grammar rules you need to master. While English almost always just adds -s, Dutch has two main plural endings — -en and -s — plus a small group of irregular forms. Once you learn the rules and their exceptions, you will be able to pluralise thousands of Dutch nouns correctly.
Dutch plurals follow consistent spelling rules linked to vowel length. The same logic that governs plurals also applies to verb conjugation and diminutives — so mastering this one skill pays off across the whole language!
📐 The Two Main Plural Endings
About two thirds of Dutch nouns take -en as their plural ending. The remaining third take -s. There is no gender rule — you simply need to learn which ending each noun takes, though there are very helpful patterns.
| Ending | When to use | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -en | Most nouns (default ending) | hond → honden, boom → bomen, stoel → stoelen |
| -s | Nouns ending in unstressed -el, -em, -en, -er, -aar, -erd, diminutives (-je), and loanwords | tafel → tafels, kamer → kamers, meisje → meisjes |
| -eren | A small group of neuter nouns (irregular) | kind → kinderen, ei → eieren, lied → liederen |
📐 Rule 1: Adding -en (the default)
Most Dutch nouns simply add -en. However, Dutch spelling rules mean the word's vowel length must be preserved, which sometimes requires adjusting the spelling.
Spelling adjustments when adding -en
- Short vowel in open syllable → double the consonant
man (man) → man·nen (the stem vowel 'a' is short, keep it short by doubling 'n') - Long vowel written double → drop one vowel letter
maan (moon) → ma·nen (the double 'aa' becomes single 'a' in open syllable) - Final -f → changes to -v, final -s → changes to -z
brief (letter) → brie·ven | huis (house) → hui·zen
| Singular | Plural | Rule applied |
|---|---|---|
| de kat (cat) | de katten | Short vowel → double tt |
| de man (man) | de mannen | Short vowel → double nn |
| de maan (moon) | de manen | Long aa → single a in open syllable |
| de boot (boat) | de boten | Long oo → single o in open syllable |
| de brief (letter) | de brieven | f → v before -en |
| het huis (house) | de huizen | s → z before -en |
| de boom (tree) | de bomen | Long oo → single o |
| het boek (book) | de boeken | Regular -en |
| de stoel (chair) | de stoelen | Regular -en |
| het woord (word) | de woorden | Regular -en |
📐 Rule 2: Adding -s
Nouns that end in an unstressed syllable typically take -s. This includes a large group of very common words:
| Pattern | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Ends in -el | de tafel (table) | de tafels |
| Ends in -em | de bezem (broom) | de bezems |
| Ends in -en | de haven (harbour) | de havens |
| Ends in -er | de kamer (room) | de kamers |
| Ends in -aar | de leraar (teacher) | de leraren (exception!) |
| Diminutives -je | het meisje (girl) | de meisjes |
| Loanwords | de auto (car) | de auto's |
| Loanwords | de foto (photo) | de foto's |
| Ends in vowel + apostroph | de paraplu (umbrella) | de paraplu's |
When a noun ends in a vowel (a, i, o, u, y), you add -'s (with apostrophe) to avoid confusion about pronunciation.
auto → auto's | foto → foto's | paraplu → paraplu's | taxi → taxi's
📐 Rule 3: Irregular -eren Plurals
A small but important group of Dutch nouns — mostly old neuter words — form their plural with -eren. These must simply be memorised:
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| het kind | de kinderen | child → children |
| het ei | de eieren | egg → eggs |
| het lied | de liederen | song → songs |
| het volk | de volkeren | people/nation → peoples |
| het rund | de runderen | cattle (one head) → cattle |
| het blad | de bladeren / de bladen | leaf / sheet → leaves |
| het goed | de goederen | good(s) → goods |
🔁 Plurals That Change Meaning
Watch out — some Dutch nouns have two different plural forms with different meanings:
| Singular | Plural 1 | Plural 2 |
|---|---|---|
| het blad | de bladeren (leaves of a tree) | de bladen (sheets of paper / magazines) |
| het woord | de woorden (words in a text) | de woordjes (little words / vocabulary items) |
| het gelid | de gelderen (ranks) | de gelederen (file/rows) |
✏️ Practice: Make These Nouns Plural
- de kat (cat) → de katten
- het boek (book) → de boeken
- de kamer (room) → de kamers
- het kind (child) → de kinderen
- de foto (photo) → de foto's
- de brief (letter) → de brieven
- het meisje (girl) → de meisjes
- de maan (moon) → de manen
🔗 Continue Learning
- 👉 De vs Het — master the Dutch articles
- 👉 Adjective Endings — adjectives change with plurals too
- 👉 Verb Conjugation — verbs also follow spelling rules
- 👉 De vs Het — note: ALL plurals use de!
🎯 Ready to Test Your Dutch?
Put everything you've learned to the test — find out your level at dutchenglish.com/test
Take the Free Level Test →
Instagram and
TikTok!
🎯 Test Your Dutch Level!
Put your knowledge to the test with our free Dutch quiz covering vocabulary, grammar and more. Find out your level now!
🏆 Take the Dutch Level Test →