{"id":442,"date":"2024-04-26T15:57:58","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T19:57:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/?post_type=chapter&p=442"},"modified":"2025-06-04T16:33:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T20:33:07","slug":"grammaire-irregular-plural","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/chapter\/grammaire-irregular-plural\/","title":{"raw":"Grammaire 2: irregular plural","rendered":"Grammaire 2: irregular plural"},"content":{"raw":"
\r\n\r\nLe pluriel<\/span><\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n

We have already see in a previous section the formation of plural in French.\u00a0 The majority of nouns and adjectives are pluralized by simply adding an -s<\/b> to the singular masculine or feminine forms.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Singulier<\/th>\r\nPluriel<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n
\u2014<\/td>\r\nAdd -s<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

un examen facile \u2192 des examens<\/strong> faciles<\/strong> (An easy exam \u2192 Easy exams)<\/em><\/p>\r\n

Un professeur sympathique \u2794 Des professeurs<\/strong>\u00a0sympathiques<\/strong> (<\/em>A nice prof \u2192 Nice profs)<\/em><\/p>\r\n

La maison verte \u2794 Les maisons<\/strong> vertes <\/strong>(A green house \u2192 Green houses)<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

\r\n

Formes irr\u00e9guli\u00e8res du pluriel<\/h3>\r\n

But there are always exceptions! There are three major exceptions to this rule:<\/p>\r\n(a) Do not add an -s<\/strong> to the masculine form of words ending in -s<\/strong> -x<\/strong> or -z<\/strong>. The masculine singular and plural forms are thus identical:\r\n

un cours s\u00e9rieux<\/strong> \u00a0<\/em>\u2192 des cours s\u00e9rieux<\/strong> (serious courses)<\/em>\r\n\r\nun homme heureux<\/strong> \u00a0\u2192 des hommes heureux<\/strong> (happy men)<\/em>\r\n\r\nle nez<\/strong> rouge \u00a0\u2192 les nez<\/strong> rouges (red noses)<\/em><\/blockquote>\r\n(b) Words ending in -eau, -eu<\/strong> in the singular form become plural by adding an -x<\/strong>.\r\n
\r\n

Un beau chapeau \u00a0\u2192 des beaux<\/strong> chapeaux<\/strong> (beautiful hats).<\/em><\/p>\r\nUn jeu \u2192 des jeux<\/strong> (games)<\/em><\/blockquote>\r\n(c) Words ending in -al, -ail<\/strong> in the singular form change to -aux <\/strong>in the masculine plural form.\r\n

\r\n

Un journal \u2192 Des journaux<\/strong> (newspapers)<\/em><\/p>\r\nUn travail \u2192 des travaux<\/strong> (jobs)<\/blockquote>\r\n<\/div>\r\nKeep in mind that there are exceptions and that not all nouns follow the rules above! The table below is a summary of the irregular plural:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u00a0<\/caption>\r\n
Singulier<\/th>\r\nPluriel<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
\r\n

-s, -x, -z<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

no changes<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
\r\n

-eau, -eu<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n

Add -x<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
-al, -ail<\/strong><\/td>\r\nReplace ending with with -aux<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<\/table>","rendered":"
\n

Le pluriel<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We have already see in a previous section the formation of plural in French.\u00a0 The majority of nouns and adjectives are pluralized by simply adding an –s<\/b> to the singular masculine or feminine forms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Singulier<\/th>\nPluriel<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
\u2014<\/td>\nAdd -s<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n
\n

un examen facile \u2192 des examens<\/strong> faciles<\/strong> (An easy exam \u2192 Easy exams)<\/em><\/p>\n

Un professeur sympathique \u2794 Des professeurs<\/strong>\u00a0sympathiques<\/strong> (<\/em>A nice prof \u2192 Nice profs)<\/em><\/p>\n

La maison verte \u2794 Les maisons<\/strong> vertes <\/strong>(A green house \u2192 Green houses)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Formes irr\u00e9guli\u00e8res du pluriel<\/h3>\n

But there are always exceptions! There are three major exceptions to this rule:<\/p>\n

(a) Do not add an -s<\/strong> to the masculine form of words ending in -s<\/strong> -x<\/strong> or -z<\/strong>. The masculine singular and plural forms are thus identical:<\/p>\n

un cours s\u00e9rieux<\/strong> \u00a0<\/em>\u2192 des cours s\u00e9rieux<\/strong> (serious courses)<\/em><\/p>\n

un homme heureux<\/strong> \u00a0\u2192 des hommes heureux<\/strong> (happy men)<\/em><\/p>\n

le nez<\/strong> rouge \u00a0\u2192 les nez<\/strong> rouges (red noses)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(b) Words ending in -eau, -eu<\/strong> in the singular form become plural by adding an -x<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Un beau chapeau \u00a0\u2192 des beaux<\/strong> chapeaux<\/strong> (beautiful hats).<\/em><\/p>\n

Un jeu \u2192 des jeux<\/strong> (games)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(c) Words ending in -al, -ail<\/strong> in the singular form change to -aux <\/strong>in the masculine plural form.<\/p>\n

\n

Un journal \u2192 Des journaux<\/strong> (newspapers)<\/em><\/p>\n

Un travail \u2192 des travaux<\/strong> (jobs)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Keep in mind that there are exceptions and that not all nouns follow the rules above! The table below is a summary of the irregular plural:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0<\/caption>\n
Singulier<\/th>\nPluriel<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

-s, -x, -z<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

no changes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

-eau, -eu<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Add -x<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
-al, -ail<\/strong><\/td>\nReplace ending with with -aux<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"author":1947,"menu_order":5,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[49],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-442","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":435,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1947"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1558,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/442\/revisions\/1558"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/435"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/442\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=442"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=442"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/capufren100\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}