Spanish Plural Nouns: Rules and Examples

Spanish grammar

Most Spanish plurals are predictable: change the article, add -s or -es, and make any necessary spelling or accent change. These rules cover the patterns you will meet most often.

1. Start with article and adjective agreement

When a noun becomes plural, its article and any adjective describing it must also become plural.

The definite articles change from el or la to los or las. The indefinite articles change from un or una to unos or unas.

2. Words ending in vowels

Unstressed vowels: add -s

When a noun ends in an unstressed vowel, add -s.

Stressed -á, -é, and -ó: usually add -s

Stressed -í and -ú: -s or -es may be possible

Many nouns ending in stressed -í or -ú accept a plural in either -s or -es. Usage differs by word and region.

• bisturí → bisturís / bisturíes
• tabú → tabús / tabúes

Some common words strongly favor -s, such as menú → menús and champú → champús.

3. Consonants, -z, and -y

Most consonants: add -es

Words ending in -z: change z to c and add -es

• lápiz → lápices
• voz → voces
• pez → peces

Vowel + y: usually add -es

• rey → reyes
• ley → leyes
• buey → bueyes

Recent loanwords ending in -y may instead take -s and change the written y to i, depending on the accepted spelling. Check a current dictionary when you are unsure.

4. Words ending in -s or -x

Polysyllabic nouns ending in -s or -x are usually unchanged when the final syllable is unstressed. The article shows whether they are singular or plural.

• el lunes → los lunes
• la crisis → las crisis
• el tórax → los tórax

Monosyllabic nouns and nouns whose final -s is stressed normally add -es.

• mes → meses
• autobús → autobuses
• francés → franceses

5. Written accent changes

The stress of the word normally stays in the same place, but Spanish spelling rules may require an accent mark to appear or disappear in the plural.

6. Invariable and compound nouns

Some nouns have the same written form in the singular and plural. The article, number, or surrounding sentence makes the meaning clear.

• la crisis / las crisis
• el lunes / los lunes
• el paraguas / los paraguas
• el cumpleaños / los cumpleaños
• el sacapuntas / los sacapuntas

Many compound nouns formed from a verb plus a plural noun are invariable, including paraguas and sacapuntas. See the RAE explanation of verb–noun compounds.

7. Surnames and other special cases

Surnames

When a surname refers to the members of one family, it is commonly left unchanged: los García, los Martínez. Usage is not completely uniform, and established dynasty names can have conventional plurals, such as los Borbones.

Nouns usually used in the plural

Some words normally appear in the plural in their common meaning, for example las vacaciones (vacation), las afueras (outskirts), and los celos (jealousy). This does not mean that every dictionary sense must be plural.

Tijeras is commonly plural for scissors: unas tijeras. A singular form, tijera, also exists in some meanings and regions.

Sport names

The sport name tenis is normally invariable: el tenis. Do not create a plural simply because you are talking about several matches; say varios partidos de tenis.

8. Loanwords

Borrowed words do not all follow one rule. Some become fully adapted to Spanish, while others keep a foreign-looking plural or allow more than one form. Because the accepted plural depends on the word and can change with usage, check the Diccionario de la lengua española or the Diccionario panhispánico de dudas for a specific loanword.

Quiz: make each phrase plural

Open each answer after you have tried it yourself.

Meta

Learn how to form Spanish plural nouns with clear rules for vowels, consonants, accents, invariable words, surnames, and loanwords, then test yourself.