But did you know that in other languages, the system is a bit more complex ? With a null quantity, the right choice is singular. Firstly let’s give a few examples of the normal case : Here are examples where the meaning commands the use of plural : Note that sometimes, also driven by the meaning, one of the composing nouns can be plural while the compound noun is at the singular form : Sometimes, you might have to be careful, because some words have the same form as a noun and as a verb. If a verb is connected with a noun or another verb, both stay unchanged. It is important to realize that unlike the gender of a noun which is an intrinsic characteristic, the singular and plural forms are pure grammatical variations of the same word. To go further, see our complete lesson about articles. Basically, we just need to explain how it is formed and a few of its specificities. In French nouns can be singular or plural (pluriel). Note that in french plural the final s is in most cases not pronounced, except when there is a “liaison” between two words . This includes: Nouns that end in -s, -x or -z in the singular do not change in the plural. Their plural in French is not always obvious, but we can state an easy rule to understand how it goes : The words that make up a compound noun can be nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs or prepositions.It’s not always easy to form the plural of these nouns, but the following rules can help: Become a Lingolia Plus member to access these additional exercises. We say that nouns “vary in number” (en nombre). Some nouns form their plural with an -x. The plural of most nouns is formed by adding an -s to the end of the word. For a negative quantity, the choice is made according to the value without the negative sign. If an adjective is connected with a noun, both are changed in the plural. But what about null, decimal and fractional quantities ? Just like the English verb “to be”, être is probably one of the most used verbs in the French language. This -s is silent: it is almost never pronounced aloud. On the contrary, the expressions “un ou deux” (one or two) or “moins de deux” (less than two) are always followed by a plural: In French, as in English and other main languages, there only exist the singular (for one) and the plural (for two or more). By Veronique Mazet . The plural of compound nouns in French. Firstly, the idiomatic expression “plus d’un” (more than one) is always followed by a singular. To make sure that you understand the correct answers, our answer keys offer simple explanations as well as handy tips and tricks. les. Only a certain number of French nouns end in -x in the plural form. Plural (le pluriel) is a variation of the singular form. Examples for compound nouns in the plural. If the singular noun ends in -s,-x or -z, no further-s is added in the plural. It’s not always easy to form the plural of these nouns, but the following rules can help: Our online exercises for French help you to learn and practice grammar rules in an interactive manner. Also if a preposition is connected with a noun, both stay unchanged. If the compound noun contains nouns that refer to a collective entity or uncountable nouns, these remain in the singular. Most French nouns form their plural by adding an -s to their singular form. In English, nouns are usually marked as being plural by adding -s or -es: one book, two books; this blue box, these blue boxes.Notice that in English, adjectives like blue don't change between singular and plural. They can be a combination of nouns, adjectives, verbs, past or present participles, adverbs, prepositions, determiners. Compound nouns (les noms composés) are composed by more than one word (generally two) ; they usually are connected together by a hyphen “-“. The plural form of a noun is usually formed by changing the article to les/des and adding an -s to the end of the word, however there are many exceptions! Get 3 months membership for just €10.49 (≈ $12.48). Part of French Grammar For Dummies Cheat Sheet . Exceptionally, if the sentence is constructed with the words sans (without) or pas de (no), the use of plural or singular depends of the logical meaning of the sentence : Finally, another two exceptions are worth stating. French conjugation: the best way to learn how to conjugate a French verb. Definite articles. Singular. Opposed to singular and plural, these grammatical forms can exist : Also, in certain languages, instead of being naturally singular and having a modified plural form, some words refer naturally to multiple objects and have a altered singular form that refer to a single object. The verb être in French is one of the most useful and critical verbs you will ever need. Le pluriel – pluriel des noms et des adjectifs. Firstly, let’s set a few examples for the last default case : It’s pretty much all you should know about how to form the plural in French. Learn how to use plural nouns in French grammar with Lingolia’s quick and easy examples, then put your knowledge to the test in the exercises. Interestingly, one of the languages that has the most complex system for plural is the sursurunga, a language spoken by about 3000 people in New Ireland. As far as nouns are concerned, the rules for the formation of the plural in French are few and simple. They can be a combination of nouns, adjectives, verbs, past or present participles, adverbs, prepositions, determiners. For a fractional quantity, the rule applies : the choice depends if the fraction is bigger than 2 or not. Once you learn the rules, there aren’t too many exceptions, so it’ll certainly be easy to get going in conversation. You now know how to for the plural of nouns, but we´ll need one or two other lessons to learn how to deal with the plural when it comes to the conjugation of the verbs. The words that make up a compound noun can be nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs or prepositions. A noun IS masculine or feminine, but it HAS a singular and a plural form. Let’s start with a few examples, as usual : As we saw in our previous lesson about gender, a noun is generally introduced by an article which must vary in gender according to it. Most nouns ending in -ou take an -s in the plural, with a few exceptions. Compound nouns (les noms composés) are composed by more than one word (generally two) ; they usually are connected together by a hyphen “-“. In some cases, whether or not the words within the compound noun are singular or plural depends on their meaning. Some plural forms are completely irregular. F Examples: - Des maison s é loignées – / distant houses - Des sommets enneigés – ( snowy peaks) The articles and verbs agree with the nouns. knee, pebble, owl, a piece of jewellery, louse, cabbage, toy, dance, callus, carnival, jackal, festival, treat, lease, coral, email, basement window, work, stained glass window, a stained-glass window - stained-glass windows, If the first word of the compound noun is, In the majority of cases, nouns receive the plural.