Plurals (meervoud)
Dutch plurals follow two main patterns — add -en (most common) or add -s. The choice depends on the noun's stress, ending, and whether it's a loanword. Plus a small set of irregular plurals you memorise. After mastering the rule, most plurals are predictable.
Dutch plurals follow two main patterns: add -en (most common) or add -s. The choice depends on the noun’s stress pattern, its ending, and whether it’s a native Dutch word or a loanword.
After mastering the two main patterns and a small set of irregulars, most Dutch plurals are predictable. Native speakers rarely make plural errors; learners take a few months to internalise the system.
Note: all plural nouns take de as their definite article, regardless of singular gender. The de/het split disappears in the plural.
The -en plural (most native nouns)
The default Dutch plural is -en, pronounced as a reduced [ə] (just a schwa). About 75% of native Dutch nouns take this plural.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| boek | boeken |
| huis | huizen |
| man | mannen |
| vrouw | vrouwen |
| kind | kinderen (irregular -eren) |
| dag | dagen |
| jaar | jaren |
| straat | straten |
| boom | bomen |
| school | scholen |
Spelling changes when adding -en
When you add -en, the spelling sometimes shifts:
1. Long-vowel words drop one of the doubled vowels. Dutch writes long vowels as doubled in closed syllables (last consonant present) but single in open syllables. When -en opens the syllable:
| Singular (closed) | Plural (open) |
|---|---|
| boom (oo) | bomen (one o) |
| straat (aa) | straten (one a) |
| been (ee) | benen (one e) |
| huis (ui) | huizen (one u with -zen) |
2. Short-vowel words double the consonant. The doubled consonant preserves the short-vowel pronunciation:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| man | mannen |
| pen | pennen |
| kat | katten |
| kop | koppen |
3. Words ending in -s, -f sometimes change to -z, -v. This is called consonant softening (like Italian casa → case, where the s in some words becomes voiced).
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| huis (-s) | huizen (-z) |
| brief (-f) | brieven (-v) |
| graf (-f) | graven (-v) |
Not all -s and -f words do this; some keep the consonant: fles → flessen (no -z shift).
The -s plural
Some nouns take -s instead of -en. The main categories:
1. Nouns ending in unstressed -el, -em, -en, -er, -aar
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| tafel | tafels (table) |
| bezem | bezems (broom) |
| jongen | jongens (boy) |
| schilder | schilders (painter) |
| leraar | leraren or leraars (teacher) |
2. Diminutives (always -s)
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| boekje | boekjes |
| huisje | huisjes |
| katje | katjes |
3. Loanwords (mostly from English/French)
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| auto | auto’s (with apostrophe before -s for long-vowel preservation) |
| foto | foto’s |
| baby | baby’s |
| computer | computers |
| restaurant | restaurants |
Note: short loanwords ending in -a, -i, -o, -u, -y take ‘s (with apostrophe) to preserve the long vowel sound. Otherwise just -s.
4. Family-relation words (often -s)
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| oom | ooms (uncle) |
| oma | oma’s (grandma) |
| opa | opa’s (grandpa) |
But: vader → vaders, moeder → moeders (these are -er nouns, so -s anyway).
Irregular plurals
A small set of common nouns has irregular plurals. Memorise these.
| Singular | Plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kind | kinderen | child(ren) |
| ei | eieren | egg(s) |
| volk | volken or volkeren | people(s) |
| stad | steden | city/cities |
| schip | schepen | ship(s) |
| weg | wegen | road(s) |
| pad | paden | path(s) |
| dag | dagen | day(s) — regular but vowel changes from short to long |
| god | goden | god(s) |
| dief | dieven | thief/thieves |
| genie | genieën | genius/geniuses |
| museum | musea | museum(s) — Latin plural |
| crisis | crises | crisis/crises — Latin plural |
The -eren plurals
A small group of Dutch nouns takes a plural in -eren (plural of “child” being the most famous):
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| kind | kinderen |
| ei | eieren |
| been | benen (regular, but in the sense of “bones” sometimes beenderen is used) |
| lied | liederen (regular form is liederen for songs, liedjes for casual songs) |
| volk | volkeren (peoples, in the sense of nations) |
| blad | bladeren (leaves) |
| kalf | kalveren (calves) |
This -eren ending is a relic of an older Dutch grammatical pattern.
The article changes too
In the plural, ALL nouns take de (the definite article), regardless of singular gender:
de man → de mannen het kind → de kinderen het huis → de huizen
This is one of the most learner-friendly features of Dutch: gender disappears in the plural.
The indefinite plural has no article at all. Singular een doesn’t have a plural form:
een huis → huizen (just “houses”, no article) een man → mannen (just “men”)
If you want to say “some houses” or “a few houses,” use enkele, een paar, or sommige:
Ik heb enkele boeken gekocht. — I bought a few books.
Predicting which plural to use
When you encounter a new Dutch noun, predict the plural like this:
- Does it end in unstressed -el, -em, -en, -er, -aar? → -s
- Is it a diminutive (ends in -je)? → -s
- Is it a loanword (especially English/French)? → -s (or ‘s for short vowels)
- Otherwise? → -en, with vowel/consonant spelling changes as needed
About 90% of Dutch plurals fit this rule.
What you don’t need to do
You don’t need to memorise spelling changes individually. The rules (double consonant for short vowels, drop doubled vowel for long vowels in open syllables) apply to every noun.
You don’t need to handle every irregular plural at A1. The -eren plurals (kinderen, eieren) come up early; the rest you memorise as you encounter them.
You don’t need to predict which loanwords have apostrophe-s. Auto’s and foto’s (with apostrophe) follow a Dutch convention, but native speakers tolerate plain s without it in casual writing.
Common confusions
- All plurals take de. De huizen, de boeken, de kinderen. No gender in plural.
- Spelling shifts are mandatory. Boom → bomen (drop one o). Man → mannen (double the n). These aren’t optional.
- Some -s and -f words change to -z and -v. Huis → huizen, brief → brieven. Not all of them — memorise the common ones.
- Diminutives are always -s plural. Het boekje → de boekjes. No -en here.
Where you’ll meet it in the library
Plurals are in every sentence with multiple things. Especially visible in:
- The Low Countries (A2+) — Storica’s history book lists historical groups, objects, events. Kooplieden, schepen, oorlogen, steden, koningen — every chapter contains dozens of plurals showing the patterns.
- Any Dutch list, menu, or news article. Plurals are everywhere; the patterns become automatic after a few weeks of reading.
Where you'll see this in books.
In de zeventiende eeuw kwamen handelsschepen vanuit alle landen naar Amsterdam. Kooplieden brachten specerijen, zijde, en porseleinen vaten. De stad telde toen al honderdduizenden inwoners.
De toeristen wandelen door de straten van Amsterdam. Ze bezoeken de musea, de kerken, en de winkels. De grachten zijn beroemd over de hele wereld.
Kinderen leerden vroeger op school over de helden van het Nederlandse verleden. Ze schreven essays over Willem van Oranje, over de admiralen, en over de schilders van de Gouden Eeuw.