Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 2

CEFR A1-A2

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Test yourself (30 questions)

Spanish Noun Plurals: -s, -es, -ces and the No-Change Nouns

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 11 October 2026

A Spanish noun goes plural by its last letter: a vowel adds -s, a consonant adds -es. So (the house) becomes (the houses), and becomes (the gentlemen). The article goes plural with it, every time.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick the correct plural form.

  1. la vez, las

  2. el día, los

  3. el señor, los

The whole system on one screen

masculinefemininechangesWhat do the colours mean?
Noun ends inPluralExampleEnglish
a vowel+ -s , the houses
a consonant+ - , the gentlemen
-z-ces , the times
unstressed -sno change , on Mondays

Blue marks a masculine article, rose a feminine one, and the highlighter marks the ending that makes the plural.

Rule 1: vowel ending, add -s

If the noun ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), add -s. This covers most nouns, because most end in -o, -a or -e.

SingularPluralEnglish
the houses
the things
the days
the years
the men
On a table, a single smiling apple sits on a plate on the left, and three smiling apples share a plate on the right.

Manzana ends in a vowel, so one apple becomes three with a plain -s.

- counts as a vowel, so takes a plain -s. The accent on stays where it was:

  • . - I' got two dogs.
  • . - I work every day.

Rule 2: consonant ending, add -es

If the noun ends in a consonant, add -es. The extra e gives the ending a syllable of its own, so and say themselves.

SingularPluralEnglish
the gentlemen
the truths
the cities
the months
the kings

A final -y counts as a consonant here: , .

  • . - There are a lot of cities in Spain.
  • . - The course lasts three months.

The spelling swap: -z becomes -ces

Nouns ending in -z follow rule 2, but Spanish spelling does not write z before e. So the z is written c.

la vez, las veces: z becomes c before -es
SingularPluralEnglish
the times
the lights
the voices
the pencils

The sound is exactly what rule 2 predicts; only the letter changes. Anchor it on , one of the commonest nouns in Spanish:

  • . - I do it lots of times.
  • . - Turn off the lights.

The no-change group: unstressed final -s

A noun of two or more syllables ending in an unstressed -s does not change. The article carries the plural on its own.

SingularPluralEnglish
Monday, Mondays
Tuesday, Tuesdays
the crisis, crises
the umbrella(s)

With the days the article changes the meaning:

  • Madrid. - On Monday I'm going to Madrid.
  • . - On Mondays I work from home.

If the last syllable is stressed, or the word has one syllable, rule 2 applies: , ; , (the Englishmen).

The article pluralises with the noun

Each singular article has a plural partner, and they always move together.

SingularPluralEnglish
the days
the houses
some gentlemen
some things

and mean some or a few:

  • Madrid . - I'm going to Madrid for a few days.
  • . - I' got some things for you.

The noun's gender decides between and , so a masculine noun ending in -a still takes : . Noun gender has the full or .

Preview: adjectives pluralise too

Adjectives follow the same two rules and agree with the noun, so the whole phrase goes plural at once.

SingularPluralEnglish
the white houses
the big dogs
the blue days
  • . - The houses are white.

One plural decision, three agreeing words. The adjective agreement page has the full set of endings.

Accent housekeeping

A written accent marks the stressed syllable. Adding -es adds a syllable, so an accent can drop or appear to keep the stress where it was.

ChangeSingularPluralEnglish
accent drops the songs
accent drops the English
accent appears young people
accent appears the exams
accent stays the days
canción, canciones: the accent drops
  • . - I like these songs.
  • . - Young people speak English.

You do not need to memorise these one by one: they fall out of the stress rules. The accent rules page explains why.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
vezes z becomes c before e
señors a consonant takes -
luneses unstressed -s: no change
canciónes the accent drops
the article keeps the gender
the adjective goes plural too
the noun changes, not just

What to do next

  1. Pluralise phrases, not nouns: , .
  2. Do the build and sort drills below.
  3. Next: noun gender, which decides or .

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/5

Build the plural from its pieces.

  1. la casa (the house), plural

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. el señor (the gentleman), plural

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. la vez (the time), plural

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. la canción (the song), plural

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  5. el joven (the young man), plural

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/9

Sort each noun by how it makes its plural.

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Pick the right one

0/6

Pick the correct plural form.

  1. la vez, las

  2. el día, los

  3. el señor, los

  4. el hombre, los

  5. la verdad, las

  6. el lunes, los

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one plural mistake. Tap it.

Translation drill

0/6

Translate into Spanish. Pluralise the article with the noun, and make any adjective agree.

  1. the houses

  2. two years

  3. many times

  4. the men

  5. the good things

  6. some gentlemen

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Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. The whole system on one screen
  3. Rule 1: vowel ending, add -s
  4. Rule 2: consonant ending, add -es
  5. The spelling swap: -z becomes -ces
  6. The no-change group: unstressed final -s
  7. The article pluralises with the noun
  8. Preview: adjectives pluralise too
  9. Accent housekeeping
  10. Mistakes English speakers make

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a noun plural in Spanish?
If the noun ends in a vowel, add -s: , (the houses). If it ends in a consonant, add -es: , (the gentlemen). A final -z is written -ces in the plural ( , ), and nouns like do not change. The article goes plural too: becomes , becomes .
Why does become ?
It is a spelling rule, not an irregular plural. Spanish does not write z before e, so when -es is added the z is written c: , ; , (the lights). The sound is exactly what the -es rule predicts. (many times) is the phrase to learn it on.
Which Spanish nouns do not change in the plural?
Nouns of two or more syllables that end in an unstressed -s: , (Monday, Mondays), , . Only the article shows the plural. A one-syllable noun or one stressed on the last syllable does change: , (the months).
Do the articles change in the plural?
Always. becomes , becomes , becomes and becomes : (some gentlemen), (some things). For a no-change noun the article is the only plural marker, so is Monday and is on Mondays.
Do adjectives go plural with the noun?
Yes, with the same two rules: a vowel adds -s and a consonant adds -es. becomes (the white houses), and becomes (the blue days). Article, noun and adjective all go plural together.