Unpacking moving boxes means dealing with a lot of household gadgets! In French, many of these items are compound nouns (words joined by hyphens). Making them plural depends on what types of words are combined.
Noun + Adjective
When a compound noun is made of a noun and an adjective, both parts take a plural marker (-s or -x).
| There are two heavy safes in the living room. | Il y a deux coffres-forts lourds dans le salon. |
Verb + Noun
The most common way to name a gadget in French is by combining a verb and a noun (like a "cork-puller" for a corkscrew). In these combinations, the verb NEVER takes an -s. The noun usually takes a plural -s or -x.
| I am unpacking the small corkscrews. | Je suis en train de déballer les petits tire-bouchons. |
| Where are you going to put the large coat racks? | Où vas-tu mettre les grands porte-manteaux ? |
Notice how the verbs (tire and porte) remain unchanged, while the nouns (bouchons and manteaux) become plural.
Nouns Already Ending in -s or -x
If the noun part of the compound already ends in an -s or -x in its singular form, the word does not change at all in the plural. You simply change the article (like le to les).
| I unpack the boxes and I find two nutcrackers. | Je déballe les cartons et je trouve deux casse-noix. |
| Why do we have three microwaves in the kitchen? | Pourquoi avons-nous trois micro-ondes dans la cuisine ? |
Uncountable or Invariable Nouns
Sometimes, the noun in a verb-noun compound refers to something uncountable or abstract. In these cases, the noun does not take a plural -s.
For example, un lave-linge (a washing machine) literally washes linge (linens or laundry, an uncountable concept). Similarly, un abat-jour (a lampshade) blocks out jour (daylight). Because these concepts cannot be counted in this context, the compound nouns remain invariable in the plural.
| While unpacking this box, I found some beautiful lampshades. | En déballant ce carton, j'ai trouvé de beaux abat-jour. |
| We are unpacking the washing machines. Are you taking care of it? | Nous déballons les lave-linge. Est-ce que tu t'en occupes ? |