formation of plural

Plural Formation of Nouns and Adjectives in Brazilian Portuguese

In Portuguese, nouns and adjectives must agree in number. This means that if a noun is plural, its accompanying adjectives must also be plural. Here is a clear guide to forming plurals based on how words end.

1. Words Ending in a Vowel

The fundamental rule is very simple: just add -s.

• O carro novo (The new car) → Os carros novos (The new cars)

2. Words Ending in -ão

Words ending in -ão generally change to -ões. However, there are two other possible exceptions that take -ãos or -ães.

• -ões (most common): A decisão (The decision) → As decisões (The decisions)
• -ãos: O irmão (The brother) → Os irmãos (The brothers)
• -ães: O pão (The bread) → Os pães (The breads / The loaves of bread)

3. Words Ending in Consonants (-m, -r, -z, -l)

• Ending in -m: Change the -m to -ns.
  Example: O trem (The train) → Os trens (The trains)
• Ending in -r or -z: Add -es.
  Example: A voz (The voice) → As vozes (The voices)
• Ending in -l: Drop the -l and add -is (there are minor variations depending on whether the syllable is stressed or unstressed).
  Example: O jornal (The newspaper) → Os jornais (The newspapers)

4. Words Ending in -s

If the word has only one syllable, or if the stress falls on the last syllable, add -es. If the stress falls on any other syllable, the word remains invariable (the form does not change).

• Stressed last syllable: O mês (The month) → Os meses (The months)
• Unstressed last syllable: O ônibus (The bus) → Os ônibus (The buses)

5. Hyphenated Compound Words

Pluralizing compound words depends on their components:

• Noun + Adjective (or Adjective + Noun): Both words become plural.
  Example: O cachorro-quente (The hot dog) → Os cachorros-quentes (The hot dogs)
• Verb + Noun: Only the second word (the noun) becomes plural.
  Example: O guarda-chuva (The umbrella) → Os guarda-chuvas (The umbrellas)
• Adjective + Adjective: Typically, only the second adjective becomes plural.
  Example: Verde-escuro (Dark green) → Verde-escuros (Dark green [plural])

6. Phonetic Changes (The Vowel Shift)

Some masculine nouns and adjectives undergo a phonetic change in the plural. The stressed letter "o" shifts from a closed [o] sound to an open [ɔ] sound (similar to the "o" in "hot"). The spelling remains the same.

• O corpo [o] (The body) → Os corpos [ɔ] (The bodies)
• Gostoso [o] (Tasty) → Gostosos [ɔ] (Tasty [plural])