1) Some nouns are always plural in English, but singular in German.
eine Brille |
glasses, spectacles |
eine Schere |
scissors |
eine Hose |
trousers |
These nouns used in the plural in German mean more than one pair.
zwei Hosen |
two pairs of trousers |
2) To form the plural
SINGULAR |
PLURAL |
|
no ending |
das Messer (knife) |
die Messer |
added E |
der Schuh (shoe) |
die Schuhe |
added (E)N |
die Ampel (traffic light) |
die Ampeln |
added ER |
das Lied (song) |
die Lieder |
added S |
das Büro (office) |
die Büros |
(with umlaut) |
der Mantel (coat) |
die Mäntel |
(with umlaut) |
der Wald (forest) |
die Wälder |
(with umlaut) |
die Wurst (sausage) |
die Würste |
irregular |
das Datum (calendar date) |
die Daten |
3) Nouns of measurement and quantity
These nouns, used to describe the quantity or size of something, usually remain singular
Möchten Sie zwei Stück? |
Would you like two? |
Ich wiege fünfzig Kilo. |
I weigh eight stone. |
The substance which they measure follows in the same case as the noun of quantity.
Sie hat drei Tassen Kaffee getrunken. |
She drank three cups of coffee. |
Er wollte zwei Kilo Kartoffeln. |
He wanted two kilos of potatoes. |
Drei Glas Weißwein, bitte! |
Three glasses of white wine, please. |