The Plural of French Nouns (Part I)
I will be dividing this post into two parts due to its length. The first part is about simple nouns (one-word nouns).
In French, plurals are formed by adding an s to the end of a word. Whenever a noun is written in plural, all the articles and adjectives describing it must also be in plural (some exceptions exist, such as with certain colours and numbers, etc.). However, words ending with -s, -x, or -z do not change when put in plural.
2. Words ending with -ou
Most nouns ending with -ou take an s at the end when they are plural.
EXCEPTION: The words hibou, chou, genou, caillou, joujou, bijou and pou all take an x in their plural forms.
Most nouns ending with -eu take an x in plural.
EXCEPTION: The words pneu and bleu take an s.
4. Words ending with -ail
Most nouns ending with -ail take an s in plural.
EXCEPTION: The words bail, corail, vantail, émail, travail, soupirail, and vitrail replace the -ail with ‑aux in plural.
5. Words ending with -au and -eau
These nouns ending usually take and s when written in plural.
EXCEPTION: The words landau and sarrau take an s in plural.
6. Words ending with -al
These nouns replace the -al with -aux in plural.
EXCEPTION: The words bal, recital, festival, carnival, régal, chacal, and ceremonial take an s at the end.
Some words have irregular plurals:
Ail – The traditional plural form is aulx (pronounced ô), but the more modern (and most common) plural is ails
Ciel – Unlike every other word ending with -el, ciel doesn’t take an s in plural; instead it is cieux
Oeil – This is the most unusual word in French because it changes completely in its plural form by becoming yeux
Madame, Monsieur, Mademoiselle – These three words follow the same rule and become Mesdames, Messeiurs, and Mesdemoiselles; this is because the words were originally separated into two parts and each was written in the plural form (e.g.: Ma dame – Mes dames)
