If there is one Portuguese plural pattern that every learner eventually has to memorise, it is the one for nouns ending in -ão. The ending looks uniform, but history has given it three different plural forms: -ões, -ães, and -ãos. There is no foolproof rule that tells you which one a given noun takes, but there are very strong tendencies — and a short list of truly irregular words. This page shows you the patterns, the probabilities, and the handful of exceptions worth learning by heart.
Why three plurals?
Modern Portuguese -ão is the descendant of three different Latin endings that fell together in sound: -ōnem (→ -ão, plural -ões), -ānem / -āne (→ -ão, plural -ães), and -ānum (→ -ão, plural -ãos). When the language lost the final consonants, all three became the same singular ending, but the plurals preserved their original vowel. The practical consequence is that you can sometimes predict the plural from the etymology or from the derivational suffix — and other times you simply have to remember.
The -ão → -ões pattern
This is the default pattern and applies to the large majority of -ão nouns, including all feminine nouns ending in -ção and -são — that is, the Portuguese equivalents of English -tion and -sion.
As nações europeias assinaram o acordo na quarta-feira.
The European nations signed the agreement on Wednesday.
Os corações das crianças batiam depressa de emoção.
The children's hearts were beating fast with excitement.
Ouvimos várias canções antigas no rádio do carro.
We heard several old songs on the car radio.
Essentially every suffix below yields -ões:
| Suffix pattern | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| -ção | nação, canção, ação, informação | nações, canções, ações, informações |
| -são | mansão, decisão, paixão, ocasião | mansões, decisões, paixões, ocasiões |
| -dão | solidão, multidão | solidões, multidões |
| -rão | tubarão, barão | tubarões, barões |
| augmentative -ão | portão (big door), solteirão | portões, solteirões |
Other everyday -ões words: leão → leões (lions), limão → limões (lemons), botão → botões (buttons), balcão → balcões (counters), colchão → colchões (mattresses), avião → aviões (planes), feijão → feijões (beans), coração → corações (hearts), campeão → campeões (champions).
Há dois limões no cesto da fruta.
There are two lemons in the fruit basket.
The -ão → -ães pattern
This smaller group collects a group of Portuguese words often of Germanic or early medieval origin. There is no suffix you can use to spot them; these must be memorised as a closed class.
Os cães do vizinho ladram sempre que passa alguém.
The neighbour's dogs bark whenever someone walks by.
Compra dois pães de mistura e um de trigo.
Buy two mixed-grain loaves and one wheat loaf.
Os alemães organizaram a conferência com grande rigor.
The Germans organised the conference very thoroughly.
The core list worth knowing:
| Singular | Plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cão | cães | dog |
| pão | pães | bread, loaf |
| alemão | alemães | German |
| capitão | capitães | captain |
| escrivão | escrivães | clerk, registrar |
| catalão | catalães | Catalan |
| charlatão | charlatães | charlatan |
| guardião | guardiães | guardian |
| tabelião | tabeliães | notary |
The -ão → -ãos pattern
Another small group, but one that includes some of the highest-frequency words in Portuguese. These nouns inherited the Latin -ānum ending, and their plurals regularly add -s to the singular.
Lava as mãos antes de comer, por favor.
Wash your hands before eating, please.
Os meus irmãos vivem ambos no Porto.
Both my brothers live in Porto.
Somos todos cidadãos europeus, mas não nos esquecemos de onde viemos.
We are all European citizens, but we do not forget where we come from.
The core list to memorise:
| Singular | Plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mão | mãos | hand |
| irmão | irmãos | brother |
| cidadão | cidadãos | citizen |
| cristão | cristãos | Christian |
| pagão | pagãos | pagan |
| órfão | órfãos | orphan |
| bênção | bênçãos | blessing |
| órgão | órgãos | organ |
| grão | grãos | grain |
| sótão | sótãos | attic |
Nouns with variant plurals
A few nouns have two or even three accepted plurals. In most cases one form is clearly more frequent in modern speech; the others are archaic or literary.
| Singular | Accepted plurals | Most common today |
|---|---|---|
| ancião | anciãos / anciões / anciães | anciãos |
| vilão | vilões / vilãos | vilões |
| verão | verões / verãos | verões |
| aldeão | aldeões / aldeãos | aldeões |
| ermitão | ermitões / ermitãos / ermitães | ermitões |
These variants are not errors; they are fossils from earlier stages of the language. You will meet them in literary texts.
Os anciãos da aldeia reuniam-se sempre ao fim da tarde.
The village elders used to meet every late afternoon.
How this differs from English and Spanish
English speakers have nothing to compare this to — English plurals are almost always -s or -es, and the only vowel change is in a handful of archaic irregulars (man → men, goose → geese). Spanish speakers often look for a rule like canción → canciones, which is regular and predictable, and are surprised to find that Portuguese has inherited a more tangled system. In fact, the Portuguese -ões plural corresponds directly to Spanish -ones — the two pluralisations are cognate, only the modern spelling makes them look further apart than they are.
Register and rare words
Most -ão plurals are neutral in register. A few exceptions:
- guardião → guardiães (formal, often referring to legal guardians) vs. guarda → guardas (everyday: guards, police).
- tabelião → tabeliães is specialised legal vocabulary.
- Literary or archaic plurals like anciães appear in older texts and poetry; using them in everyday speech would sound theatrical.
Common mistakes
❌ As mãoes da minha avó são muito macias.
Incorrect — mão pluralises as mãos, not mãoes.
✅ As mãos da minha avó são muito macias.
My grandmother's hands are very soft.
❌ Os irmões dele trabalham todos juntos.
Incorrect — irmão pluralises as irmãos.
✅ Os irmãos dele trabalham todos juntos.
His brothers all work together.
❌ Os cãos do meu tio são enormes.
Incorrect — cão is -ães, not -ãos.
✅ Os cães do meu tio são enormes.
My uncle's dogs are huge.
❌ As naçães europeias negociaram um novo tratado.
Incorrect — the suffix -ção always yields -ões in the plural.
✅ As nações europeias negociaram um novo tratado.
The European nations negotiated a new treaty.
❌ Os alemãos são conhecidos pela pontualidade.
Incorrect — alemão pluralises as alemães.
✅ Os alemães são conhecidos pela pontualidade.
Germans are known for their punctuality.
Key takeaways
- -ões is the default pattern and covers all -ção and -são nouns. If you must guess, guess -ões.
- -ães is rarer and must be memorised: cão, pão, alemão, capitão, escrivão, and a few more.
- -ãos covers the handful of everyday words of Latin -ānum origin, especially mão, irmão, cidadão, cristão, and most -ão nouns that already carry an accent in the singular.
- Some nouns have variant plurals; one form is usually the dominant modern choice.
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 -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.
- Gender Rules and PatternsA1 — The endings that reliably predict whether a Portuguese noun is masculine or feminine, with reliability scores so you know which rules you can trust and which ones need a second look.