Portuguese is very fond of compound nouns — combinations of two or more words that together name a single thing: guarda-chuva (umbrella), fim-de-semana (weekend), couve-flor (cauliflower). Some are written with hyphens, some as single words, some with internal prepositions. They behave as single nouns semantically, but their internal structure matters for pluralisation: you sometimes pluralise one element, sometimes both, and sometimes neither. This page gives you the full system.
Types of compound nouns
Before we get to plurals, it helps to see how compound nouns are built, because the structure determines the plural rule.
| Type | Structure | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Agglutinated | written as one word | passatempo, aguardente, vinagre, girassol |
| Noun + noun (apposition) | hyphenated, both nouns | couve-flor, peixe-espada, decreto-lei |
| Noun + adjective or adjective + noun | hyphenated | amor-perfeito, obra-prima, segunda-feira |
| Noun + preposition + noun | hyphenated with internal preposition | pé-de-meia, fim-de-semana, mãe-de-família, chapéu-de-chuva, pôr-do-sol |
| Verb + noun | hyphenated, verb form + object | guarda-chuva, porta-aviões, beija-flor, salva-vidas |
| Verb + verb / particle | hyphenated | leva-e-traz, ganha-pouco |
| Adverb + verb/adj | hyphenated | bem-estar, mal-entendido |
Agglutinated compounds pluralise normally
If the compound is spelled as one word, it behaves like any other single noun and follows the ordinary plural rule for its ending.
Temos muitos passatempos em comum.
We have many hobbies in common.
Os girassóis do campo do meu avô são enormes.
The sunflowers in my grandfather's field are huge.
passatempo → passatempos, girassol → girassóis, aguardente → aguardentes, vinagre → vinagres, pontapé → pontapés.
Rule 1: Noun + noun in apposition — both pluralise
When two nouns are juxtaposed and both contribute to the meaning (like couve-flor, literally "cabbage-flower"), both elements take the plural.
As couves-flores ficam melhor cozidas a vapor.
Cauliflowers are best steamed.
Comemos peixes-espada grelhados com legumes.
We had grilled scabbardfish with vegetables.
Os decretos-leis publicados ontem entram em vigor em janeiro.
The decree-laws published yesterday come into force in January.
Other examples: couve-flor → couves-flores, peixe-espada → peixes-espada (here espada indicates the shape of the fish and stays invariable), decreto-lei → decretos-leis, tenente-coronel → tenentes-coronéis, carta-bilhete → cartas-bilhetes.
Rule 2: Noun + adjective (or adjective + noun) — both pluralise
When one element is an adjective modifying the other, both elements pluralise and agree in gender and number.
Os amores-perfeitos floresceram cedo este ano.
The pansies bloomed early this year.
As obras-primas do museu estão em exposição temporária.
The museum's masterpieces are on temporary display.
Os pores-do-sol em Lagos são inesquecíveis.
The sunsets in Lagos are unforgettable.
Examples: amor-perfeito → amores-perfeitos, obra-prima → obras-primas, pôr-do-sol → pores-do-sol, segunda-feira → segundas-feiras, boa-vontade → boas-vontades, curto-circuito → curtos-circuitos.
Rule 3: Noun + preposition + noun — only the first noun pluralises
This is the rule learners find most counter-intuitive. When a compound contains an internal preposition (typically de or a), only the first noun pluralises. The second noun stays in the singular, because it describes or qualifies the first.
Passei dois fins-de-semana seguidos em Lisboa.
I spent two weekends in a row in Lisbon.
Tens pé-de-atleta? Põe este creme duas vezes por dia.
Do you have athlete's foot? Put this cream on twice a day.
Esqueci-me de trazer os chapéus-de-chuva no domingo e apanhámos uma molha.
I forgot to bring the umbrellas on Sunday and we got soaked.
As mães-de-família da associação organizaram o evento.
The housewives from the association organised the event.
More examples: pé-de-meia → pés-de-meia (nest egg, savings — stays singular meia), dia-a-dia → the noun here is generally invariable, papel-de-embrulho → papéis-de-embrulho (wrapping paper), água-de-colónia → águas-de-colónia.
The logic: chapéu-de-chuva literally means "hat for rain." You can have several hats, but there is still just one rain. The first noun is what is being counted; the second is an attribute of it.
Rule 4: Verb + noun — the noun pluralises
When a compound consists of a verb form followed by its object, the verb is treated as a fixed element and only the noun (the object) takes the plural.
Trouxe dois guarda-chuvas do trabalho para o caso de chover.
I brought two umbrellas from work in case it rains.
Os beija-flores visitam o jardim todas as manhãs.
The hummingbirds visit the garden every morning.
Os salva-vidas da praia estão em formação esta semana.
The beach lifeguards are in training this week.
Examples: guarda-chuva → guarda-chuvas, guarda-roupa → guarda-roupas, beija-flor → beija-flores, salva-vidas → salva-vidas (already plural — stays the same), para-brisas → para-brisas (windscreen — already plural), porta-aviões → porta-aviões (already plural), abre-latas → abre-latas (already plural).
Rule 5: Verb + verb, verb + particle, and unclassifiable compounds — invariable
When the structure is not noun-based — a pair of verbs, a verb with an adverb, or a frozen expression — the compound typically does not change in the plural.
Os leva-e-traz da vizinhança conhecem todos os segredos da rua.
The neighbourhood gossips know all the secrets on the street.
Examples: leva-e-traz → os leva-e-traz, ganha-pouco → os ganha-pouco, bota-fora → os bota-foras (sometimes takes -s on the final noun).
Adverb + compounds
The common pair bem- and mal- prefixed to a noun or adjective behaves as a unit. The noun or adjective portion takes the plural; the adverb stays fixed.
Houve alguns mal-entendidos entre os colegas na última reunião.
There were some misunderstandings among colleagues at the last meeting.
O bem-estar dos animais é uma prioridade no centro de acolhimento.
Animal welfare is a priority at the shelter.
Examples: mal-entendido → mal-entendidos, bem-estar → bem-estares (rare in the plural; usually uncountable), bem-aventurado → bem-aventurados. Note that the noun for "bad mood" is written as two separate words (mau humor), not as a hyphenated compound.
The 1990 orthographic reform
The Acordo Ortográfico de 1990 (officially in force in Portugal since 2009, with a transition period ending in 2015) removed the hyphens from most compounds with an internal preposition. Under current PT-PT orthography:
- Fim de semana, chapéu de chuva, mãe de família, papel de embrulho, pôr do sol — written as separate words, no hyphens. The plural follows the same structural rule: fins de semana, chapéus de chuva, mães de família.
- A small closed list of "crystallised" expressions retains the hyphens as exceptions: pé-de-meia, cor-de-rosa, água-de-colónia, mais-que-perfeito, pé-de-galinha, pé-de-cabra — the Acordo lists these as fixed.
- Older texts (pre-2015) and many native speakers still use the hyphenated forms you'll see in dictionaries; both are widely recognised in practice, but the unhyphenated forms are now the prescribed standard.
- Words that were already agglutinated (passatempo, girassol, aguardente) are unchanged by the reform.
Gender and compound nouns
Compound nouns generally take the gender of their head element — the noun that carries the main meaning — not necessarily the first element.
O guarda-chuva é velho mas ainda funciona.
The umbrella is old but still works.
A couve-flor que comprámos no mercado estava perfeita.
The cauliflower we bought at the market was perfect.
O guarda-chuva is masculine because the compound names a kind of implement and follows o convention; a couve-flor is feminine because couve is feminine (and the compound is a kind of cabbage).
Summary table of plural rules
| Compound structure | Example singular | Example plural | What pluralises |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agglutinated | passatempo | passatempos | Whole word, as any noun |
| Noun + noun (apposition) | couve-flor | couves-flores | Both elements |
| Noun + adjective | amor-perfeito | amores-perfeitos | Both elements |
| Noun + prep + noun | chapéu-de-chuva | chapéus-de-chuva | First noun only |
| Verb + noun (object) | guarda-chuva | guarda-chuvas | Noun only |
| Verb + plural noun | porta-aviões | porta-aviões | Invariable |
| Verb + verb / particle | leva-e-traz | leva-e-traz | Invariable |
| Adverb + noun/adj | mal-entendido | mal-entendidos | Second element |
How this differs from English
English mostly just pluralises the whole compound at the end: mother-in-law → mothers-in-law (with the same "first noun" rule Portuguese applies), but tablecloth → tablecloths (agglutinated, only the end). The Portuguese system is actually more internally consistent: once you identify the structure, the rule is mechanical. The main source of English-speaker errors is transferring the "always at the end" expectation from compounds like tablecloths, yielding mistakes like *fim-de-semanas instead of fins-de-semana.
Common mistakes
❌ Passámos três fim-de-semanas no Alentejo este verão.
Incorrect — in noun+prep+noun compounds, only the first noun pluralises.
✅ Passámos três fins-de-semana no Alentejo este verão.
We spent three weekends in the Alentejo this summer.
❌ As couves-flor estão muito baratas no mercado.
Incorrect — in noun+noun apposition compounds, both elements pluralise.
✅ As couves-flores estão muito baratas no mercado.
Cauliflowers are very cheap at the market.
❌ Trouxe dois guardas-chuvas.
Incorrect — in verb+noun compounds, the verb stays fixed; only the noun pluralises.
✅ Trouxe dois guarda-chuvas.
I brought two umbrellas.
❌ Os porta-avião estão fundeados no porto.
Incorrect — porta-aviões is invariable because aviões is already plural.
✅ Os porta-aviões estão fundeados no porto.
The aircraft carriers are moored in the harbour.
❌ Os papel-de-embrulhos estão no armário.
Incorrect — the first noun pluralises, not the last: papéis, not embrulhos.
✅ Os papéis de embrulho estão no armário.
The wrapping papers are in the cupboard.
Key takeaways
- Compound noun structure determines plural behaviour. Always identify the structure first.
- Noun + noun and noun + adjective: both elements pluralise.
- Noun + preposition + noun: only the first noun pluralises.
- Verb + noun: only the noun pluralises. If the noun is already plural, the whole compound is invariable.
- Verb + verb / particle: invariable.
- Agglutinated compounds (passatempo, girassol) are just ordinary nouns and follow the normal rules for their ending.
- The 1990 Orthographic Agreement removed the hyphens from most preposition-containing compounds in PT-PT (fim de semana, not fim-de-semana), but the plural rules still apply regardless of whether the compound is written with or without hyphens.
Related Topics
- Regular Plural FormationA1 — How to make Portuguese plurals for the common cases — vowel endings take *-s*, consonant endings take *-es*, diphthongs take *-s*, and a few small families follow their own path.
- Plurals of Words Ending in -lA2 — How to form the plural of Portuguese nouns and adjectives ending in -l, including the vowel-stressed subpatterns -al, -el, -ol, -ul, and -il.
- Plurals of Words Ending in -ãoA2 — The three possible plural patterns for Portuguese nouns ending in -ão: -ões, -ães, and -ãos — which words take which, and why.
- Plurals of Words Ending in -mA2 — How Portuguese nouns ending in -m form their plural by replacing the -m with -ns, and why the underlying logic is a nasal vowel, not a consonant.
- Irregular PluralsA2 — Portuguese nouns with unexpected plurals — invariable forms, Greek and Latin borrowings, pluralia tantum, and other exceptions to the main rules.