Nouns — Forming of the Irregular Plural

Nouns — Forming of the Irregular Plural

Nouns ending in -z change the -z to -c before adding -es in the plural.

la cruz	cross	las cruces	crosses
la nariz	nose	las narices	noses
el juez	judge	los jueces	judges
el lápiz	pencil	los lápices	pencils
la luz	light	las luces	lights
la voz	voice	las voces	voices

Nouns ending in an accented -í or -ú usually add -es to form the plural.

el rubí	ruby	los rubíes	rubies
el tabú	taboo	los tabúes	taboos

Exceptions: In the two exceptions that follow, an -s is added to form the plural.

(a) Nouns of French origin ending in an accented vowel.

el sofá	sofa	los sofás	sofas
el menú	menu	los menús	menus

(b) Nouns ending in an -e (regardless of origin) upon which the accent (written or unwritten) falls.

el té	tea	los tés	teas
el clisé	cliché	los clisés	clichés

Nouns that have an unaccented final syllable ending in -s have the same form (spelled alike) for both singular and plural.

el viernes	Friday	los viernes	Fridays
la tesis	thesis	las tesis	theses
la crisis	crisis	las crisis	crises
el lunes	Monday	los lunes	Mondays