Making nouns plural (-s, -es)

Plural Nouns: Ending in a Vowel

In Spanish, making a noun plural is very similar to English. If a singular noun ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, or u), simply add -s. (You will also spot the plural articles los / las and plural adjectives in these examples — the last section explains how they match the noun.)

The girls need computers.
Las niñas necesitan computadoras.
They read many books.
Ellos leen muchos libros.

Plural Nouns: Ending in a Consonant

If a singular noun ends in a consonant, add -es to make it plural.

The cities are big.
Las ciudades son grandes.
They have many flowers.
Ellas tienen muchas flores.
The hospitals need doctors.
Los hospitales necesitan doctores.

Plural Articles and Adjectives

When a noun becomes plural, its articles and adjectives must also become plural to match.

The singular articles el and la (the) change to their plural forms:

  • el changes to los
  • la changes to las

Adjectives follow the exact same rules as nouns: add -s if they end in a vowel, and -es if they end in a consonant.

The professors have big books.
Los profesores tienen libros grandes.