French Plural: Rules, Examples and Exercises
The plural is a grammatical form that indicates the existence of more than one unit of an object or concept. It is used in most languages to refer to two or more elements instead of just one. For example, the plural of “dog” is “dogs”, the plural of “book” is “books”, and the plural of “person” is “people”.
The plural in French (le pluriel en français) is formed by following the general rule of adding an -s to the end of words, however, there are other rules and irregular plurals.
French plural rules
The general rule is to add an –s to the end of the word.
For example,
Porte. – Door. Portes. – Doors. Couleur. –Color. Couleurs.– Colors. Garcon. – Boy. Garcons.- Boys. |
Exceptions to the general rule
| Singular | Plural |
| – s | – s |
| – x | – x |
| – z | – z |
| – eau | – eaux |
| – eu | – eux |
| – al | – aux |
| – ail | – aux |
| – ou | – oux |
Invariable plural or words that don’t change
Words ending in S, Z and X don’t change and remain the same.
Nez – Nose/Noses Bras – Arm/Arms Pas – Step/Steps Croix – Cross/Crosses |
The formation of the plural with the -X
An -x is added in the following cases:
- au, -eau -> aux, eaux
Un château – A castle Des châteaux – Some castles Un bateau – A ship Des bateaux. – Some ships |
- eu -> eux
Except pneu and bleu
Un cheveu. – Hair (singular) Des cheveux. – Hair (Plural) |
« Hair » is an invariable noun in English, but in French it changes as shown above.
- ou -> oux
Un genou – A knee Des genoux – Some knees Un bijou – A jewel Des bijoux – Some jewels |
- al -> aux
Except for these words: le bal, le cal, le carnaval, le chacal, le festival, le régal, where an –s is added.
Un journal – A newspaper Des journaux – Some newspapers Un carnaval – A carnival Des carnavals – Some carnivals |
- ail -> aux
Un vitrail – des vitraux |
Except for bail, corail, émail, soupirail, travail, ventail, where an –s is added. (2)
Irregular plural
The plural varies completely with some words.
For example
Un oeil – An eye Des yeux. – Some eyes |
See also: French articles
Exercises of the plural in French
Make sure to answer all the questions and check your answers after you finish to see if you got them right or wrong.
Exercise 1: General Rule
Identify the correct plural form for the following nouns based on the general rule of adding -s:
- Chat (Cat) –
- Table (Table) –
- Chaise (Chair) –
- Livre (Book) –
- Stylo (Pen) –
Exercise 2: Exceptions to the General Rule
Determine the plural form for the following nouns that are exceptions to the general rule:
- Cheval (Horse) –
- Oiseau (Bird) –
- Journal (Newspaper) –
- Bijou (Jewel) –
- Genou (Knee) –
Exercise 3: Invariable Plural
Identify the correct plural form for the following nouns that remain the same in plural form:
- Pied (Foot) –
- Nez (Nose) –
- Bras (Arm) –
- Pas (Step) –
- Croix (Cross) –
Exercise 4: Irregular Plural
Determine the plural form for the following irregular nouns:
- Un animal (Animal) –
- Une dent (Tooth) –
- Un oeil (Eye) –
- Un enfant (Child) –
- Une souris (Mouse) –
Exercise 5: Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the blanks with the correct plural form based on the rules provided:
- Un gateau – Des ________
- Un bijou – Des _______
- Un cheval – Des _______
- Une fleur – Des _______
- Un journal – Des _______
Exercise 6: Translate
Translate the following plurals from French to English:
- Les ciseaux –
- Les garcons –
- Les maisons –
- Les chapeaux –
- Les souris –
Answers
Exercise 1
- Chat (Cat) – Chats
- Table (Table) – Tables
- Chaise (Chair) – Chaises
- Livre (Book) – Livres
- Stylo (Pen) – Stylos
Exercise 2
- Cheval (Horse) – Chevaux
- Oiseau (Bird) – Oiseaux
- Journal (Newspaper) – Journaux
- Bijou (Jewel) – Bijoux
- Genou (Knee) – Genoux
Exercise 3
- Pied (Foot) – Pied
- Nez (Nose) – Nez
- Bras (Arm) – Bras
- Pas (Step) – Pas
- Croix (Cross) – Croix
Exercise 4
- Un animal (Animal) – Des animaux
- Une dent (Tooth) – Des dents
- Un oeil (Eye) – Des yeux
- Un enfant (Child) – Des enfants
- Une souris (Mouse) – Des souris
Exercise 5
- Un gateau – Des gateaux
- Un bijou – Des bijoux
- Un cheval – Des chevaux
- Une fleur – Des fleurs
- Un journal – Des journaux
Exercise 6
- Les ciseaux – The scissors
- Les garcons – The boys
- Les maisons – The houses
- Les chapeaux – The hats
- Les souris – The mice
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