Le pluriel des noms / Plural Nouns

In French, most nouns form their plural by adding -s, just like English. However, there are special rules for certain endings, and the plural -s is usually silent.

The Basic Rule: Add -S

Most nouns simply add -s to form the plural:

Singular	IPA	Plural	IPA	English
le livre	[lə livʁ]	les livres	[le livʁ]	book(s)
la table	[la tabl]	les tables	[le tabl]	table(s)
un ami	[œ̃n‿a.mi]	des amis	[de.z‿a.mi]	friend(s)
une pomme	[yn pɔm]	des pommes	[de pɔm]	apple(s)

Note: The final -s is silent, but liaison may occur before vowels: les amis [le.z‿a.mi].

Nouns Ending in -S, -X, -Z

These nouns don’t change in the plural:

Singular	IPA	Plural	IPA	English
le bus	[lə bys]	les bus	[le bys]	bus(es)
le prix	[lə pʁi]	les prix	[le pʁi]	price(s)
le nez	[lə ne]	les nez	[le ne]	nose(s)

Nouns Ending in -AU, -EAU, -EU → Add -X

Singular	IPA	Plural	IPA	English
le gâteau	[lə ɡɑ.to]	les gâteaux	[le ɡɑ.to]	cake(s)
l’oiseau	[lwa.zo]	les oiseaux	[le.z‿wa.zo]	bird(s)
le jeu	[lə ʒø]	les jeux	[le ʒø]	game(s)
le cheveu	[lə ʃə.vø]	les cheveux	[le ʃə.vø]	hair(s)

Nouns Ending in -AL → Change to -AUX

Singular	IPA	Plural	IPA	English
l’animal	[la.ni.mal]	les animaux	[le.z‿a.ni.mo]	animal(s)
le journal	[lə ʒuʁ.nal]	les journaux	[le ʒuʁ.no]	newspaper(s)
l’hôpital	[lo.pi.tal]	les hôpitaux	[le.z‿o.pi.to]	hospital(s)

Exception: le festival → les festivals [le fɛs.ti.val]

Nouns Ending in -OU

Most add -s, but seven common words add -x:

Singular	IPA	Plural	IPA	English
le bijou	[lə bi.ʒu]	les bijoux	[le bi.ʒu]	jewel(s)
le chou	[lə ʃu]	les choux	[le ʃu]	cabbage(s)
le genou	[lə ʒə.nu]	les genoux	[le ʒə.nu]	knee(s)

Regular -ou: le trou → les trous (hole/holes)

Irregular Plurals

Singular	IPA	Plural	IPA	English
l’œil	[lœj]	les yeux	[le.z‿jø]	eye(s)
monsieur	[mə.sjø]	messieurs	[me.sjø]	gentleman/men
madame	[ma.dam]	mesdames	[me.dam]	lady/ladies

Common Mistakes

Incorrect	Correct	Explanation
*les animals	les animaux	-al → -aux in plural
*les gâteaus	les gâteaux	-eau → -eaux in plural
*les oeil	les yeux	Completely irregular

Practice Sentences

1. J’ai trois livres. [ʒe tʁwa livʁ] — I have three books.
2. Il y a des gâteaux sur la table. [il.j‿a de ɡɑ.to syʁ la tabl] — There are cakes on the table.
3. Les oiseaux chantent. [le.z‿wa.zo ʃɑ̃t] — The birds sing.
4. Elle a de beaux yeux. [ɛl a də bo.z‿jø] — She has beautiful eyes.
5. Les animaux dorment. [le.z‿a.ni.mo dɔʁm] — The animals are sleeping.

Exercise

Write the plural form of each noun:

1. le chat → les ___
2. le gâteau → les ___
3. l’animal → les ___
4. le bus → les ___
5. l’œil → les ___

Answers

1. les chats
2. les gâteaux
3. les animaux
4. les bus
5. les yeux