How to Form Plurals in Spanish: Simple Rules and Exceptions

Forming plurals in Spanish is one of the first grammar rules learners should master. Unlike English, where plurals often involve irregular spellings (e.g., “child → children”), Spanish plurals generally follow consistent patterns—with a few exceptions.

In this guide, you’ll learn:
✔ The basic rules for making Spanish words plural
✔ Exceptions and special cases
✔ How accent marks change in plurals
✔ Practice examples with English translations

Let’s get started!

1. Words Ending in a Vowel (-a, -e, -i, -o, -u) → Add -s

Most Spanish nouns ending in a vowel simply add -s to form the plural.

Singular	Plural	English Meaning
libro	libros	book → books
casa	casas	house → houses
perro	perros	dog → dogs
mano	manos	hand → hands

Note: Mano (hand) ends in -o but is feminine, so it uses la/las (e.g., la mano → las manos).

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2. Words Ending in a Consonant → Add -es

If a noun ends in a consonant (except -z), add -es to make it plural.

Singular	Plural	English Meaning
ciudad	ciudades	city → cities
profesor	profesores	teacher → teachers
papel	papeles	paper → papers
árbol	árboles	tree → trees

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3. Words Ending in -z → Change to -c + -es

Nouns ending in -z change to -c before adding -es.

Singular	Plural	English Meaning
lápiz	lápices	pencil → pencils
nariz	narices	nose → noses
voz	voces	voice → voices

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Exceptions & Special Cases

1. Words Ending in -s or -x (Unstressed Last Syllable) → Stay the Same

If a word ends in -s or -x and the last syllable is unstressed, the plural form remains unchanged.

Singular	Plural	English Meaning
el lunes	los lunes	Monday → Mondays
el tórax	los tórax	thorax → thoraxes

2. Foreign Words → Sometimes Keep Original Plural

Some borrowed words (especially from English) may retain their original plural form.

Singular	Plural	English Meaning
el club	los clubs (or clubes)	club → clubs
el jersey	los jerséis (Spain) / jerseys (Latin America)	sweater → sweaters

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Accent Marks in Plurals

If a word has an accent mark on the last syllable and gains a syllable in the plural, the accent may shift or disappear.

Singular	Plural	English Meaning
joven	jóvenes	young person → young people
canción	canciones	song → songs

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Quick Practice Exercise

Test your knowledge! What’s the plural of these words?

1. flor (flower) → ? (Answer: flores)
2. ratón (mouse) → ? (Answer: ratones)
3. avión (plane) → ? (Answer: aviones)

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1. Common Regular Plurals

Singular	Plural	English
el gato	los gatos	cat → cats
la mesa	las mesas	table → tables
el niño	los niños	boy → boys
la flor	las flores	flower → flowers
el café	los cafés	coffee → coffees

2. Tricky Consonant-Ending Words

Singular	Plural	English
el papel	los papeles	paper → papers
la canción	las canciones	song → songs
el avión	los aviones	plane → planes
el reloj	los relojes	watch → watches
el corazón	los corazones	heart → hearts

3. Special Cases & Exceptions

Singular	Plural	English
el lunes	los lunes	Monday → Mondays
el jersey	los jerséis (Spain)	sweater → sweaters
el virus	los virus	virus → viruses
el curriculum	los currículos	résumé → résumés

Spanish Plurals Quiz (Test Your Knowledge!)

A. Write the plural forms:

1. la ciudad → ______
2. el profesor → ______
3. la nariz → ______
4. el jueves → ______
5. el café → ______

B. Correct the errors:
6. los librós → ______
7. las manoses → ______
8. los pieses → ______

C. Bonus Challenge:
9. What’s the plural of el teclado (keyboard)?
10. Why does joven become jóvenes in plural?

(Scroll down for answers!)

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Quiz Answers

A: 1. las ciudades, 2. los profesores, 3. las narices, 4. los jueves, 5. los cafés
B: 6. los libros, 7. las manos, 8. los pies
C: 9. los teclados, 10. The accent shifts to maintain stress on the same syllable.

Final Tips & Next Steps

Now that you know the rules, try identifying plurals in Spanish texts or practicing with flashcards.

🔹 Need more help? Check out our guide on Spanish Gender Rules or Definite & Indefinite Articles.