Nouns - plurals
1 Plural of nouns
As in English, the
plural
of nouns is generally formed by adding an -s
to the end of the word. The following exceptions apply:
1.1 Nouns ending -s, -x,
or -z
Nouns ending in -s, -x,
or -z remain the same:
les fils
the sons
les voix
the voices
les gaz
the gases
1.2 Nouns ending -au, -eu
Nouns ending in -au and -eu
take -x in the plural:
les châteaux
the castles
les cheveux
the hair
But note the exception:
les pneus
the tyres
1.3 Nouns ending -ou, -x
Certain nouns ending in -ou take -x
in the plural:
les bijoux
the jewels
les cailloux
the pebbles
But note the exception:
les clous
the nails
1.4 Nouns ending -ail, -al
Certain words ending in -ail and -al
end in -aux in the plural:
des travaux
the works
des animaux
the animals
des journaux
the newspapers
but
des carnivals
the carnivals
des festivals
the festivals
1.5 Fundamental changes
Certain words change fundamentally in the plural:
les yeux
the eyes
Messieurs
Gentlemen
Mesdames
Ladies
1.6 Proper nouns and acronyms
In French
proper nouns
and
acronyms
take no -s
in the plural, unlike in English:
On est allés voir les Dupont
hier soir
We went to see the Duponts yesterday evening
Ils possèdent deux Peugeot
They own two Peugeots
En ce qui concerne les ordinateurs, je préfère les Apple
aux PC
As far as computers are concerned, I prefer Apples to PCs
Elle dépense tout son argent en CD
She spends all her money on CDs
Ces mesures sont destinées à aider les PME.
These measures are aimed at helping SMEs.
Elle achète tous ses CD sur Internet.
She buys all her CDs on the Internet.
De nos jours les PC ne sont plus un luxe mais une nécessité.
Nowadays PCs are no longer a luxury but a necessity.
En ce qui concerne les cigarettes, il ne fume que les Marlboro.
As far as cigarettes are concerned, he only smokes Marlborough.
Nous connaissons les Dupont depuis 30 ans maintenant.
We’ve known the Duponts for 30 years now.
1.7 Singular v plural, uncountable v countable
Some words are
singular
in one language and
plural
in the other:
Table 25.3.8a Words that are plural in English and singular in French
| English singular | French plural |
| to make progress / to carry out research | faire des progrès / des recherches |
| information / evidence | des renseignements / preuves |
| knowledge | des connaissances |
| to feel remorse | éprouver des remords |
| spinach / broccoli | des épinards / brocolis |
| pasta / spaghetti | des pâtes / spaghettis |
| there’s a good chance that ... | il y a de fortes chances que ... |
| to cause damage | causer des dégats |
Table 25.3.8b Words that are plural in English and singular in French
| English plural | French singular |
|---|
| pyjamas | un pyjama |
| stairs | un escalier |
| pants / tights | un slip / un collant |
| trousers / shorts | un pantalon / un short |
| economics / physics | l’économie / la physique |
Si tu veux faire des progrès il faut que tu travailles plus dur.
If you wish to make progress you must work harder.
Veux-tu un fruit?
Do you want a piece of fruit?
Ne parlons pas de politique pendant tout le repas!
Let’s not spend the whole meal talking about politics!
Il y a trop de meubles dans cette pièce.
There’s too much furniture in this room.
En 1903 Marie Curie reçut le Prix Nobel de physique.
In 1903 Marie Curie received the Nobel Prize for physics.
