How to Form the Plural in French - Part 1 of 4

Thankfully for those English speakers who are trying to learn French, the most common way to form the plural (showing more than one of something) in French is also the easiest! It is the same as in English, just add s!

Before we get too excited, though, there are some other things we need to remember!

The final s that we add in English is pronounced. It can be pronounced like s, as in cups, or like z, as in birds, but it is spoken aloud to let the listener know that the speaker is referring to more than one of a particular thing.

French isn't quite so obvious. The final s is added, yes, but this s is not usually pronounced. French lets you know the noun is plural by the article (like the or a in English) that goes with it, either les or des.

The English equivalent would be either the, which doesn't tell how many in English, or some or any, which also doesn't necessarily say a lot about quantity: "I would like some orange juice, please."

les = the
des = some, any

la tasse (la TAS) = the cup
les tasse (lay TAS) = the cups

une tasse (eeoon* TAS) = a cup, one cup
des tasses (day TAS) = some cups, any cups

Paul veut une tasse de café. Avez-vous des tasses?
= Paul wants a cup of coffee. Do you have any cups?

So remember to use les or des to show the plural when you are speaking.

*This French u sound can be tricky to pronounce! Hold your tongue and teeth like you are saying "ee" and your lips like you are saying "oo" in food.
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More Than One

Most French nouns form the plural by adding “s” at the end, just like in English. Because this final “s” is not usually pronounced in French, The plural must also be indicated by the accompanying article.

• le or la becomes les (the)


• un or une becomes des (often translated as some)

For example:
le chien (the dog), les chiens (the dogs)
un chien (a dog), des chiens (dogs, or some dogs)

Words that end in “eau” add “x” instead of “s.”

For example:
le chapeau (the hat), les chapeaux (the hats)
un chapeau (a hat), des chapeaux (hats, or some hats)

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Gender

One of the key differences between English and French is that French nouns have gender. Gender exists in many languages such as Spanish, Italian, German and some of the oldest documented languages that we are still familiar with today, Latin and Classical Greek.

Whenever you learn a new noun in French you must be sure to memorize whether it is masculine or feminine. Don’t be discouraged! French has only two genders, but some other languages have three! Your French/English dictionary will always indicate the gender of a French noun.

When you are reading or listening to French, you can tell the gender of a noun by the singular article that is used with it. Plural articles are the same for masculine and feminine nouns.

the definite article (the)

masculine singular = le
eg: le garçon = the boy

feminine singular = la
eg: la fille = the girl

masculine and feminine plural = les
eg: les garçons = the boys, les filles = the girls

the indefinite article (a, an, some, any)

masculine singular = un
eg: un garçon = a boy

feminine singular = une
eg: une fille = a girl

masculine and feminine plural = des
eg: des garçons = some boys, des filles = some girls

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