German - Plurals of Some Common Nouns Quiz

Answer: Tage

Note also the essential greeting 'Guten Tag!'

Answer: Wagen

In some South German dialects the plural 'Wägen' is also used (in speech). Note also the very 'wagen (reg.) - to dare, risk 'Der Wagen' should not to be confused with 'die Waage', plural 'Waagen' - scales.

Don't confuse 'der Wagen' with 'die Wiege' (pl. -n), otherwise you may provoke merriment, as did the young man who allegedly went into a shop and said, 'Ich möchte eine Wiege. Ich will etwas wagen'. (I would like a cradle. I want to risk something). Of course he should have said: ' Ich möchte eine Waage. Ich will etwas wiegen'. ('I would like some scales. I want to weigh something').

Answer: Kunden

'Der Kunde' (customer) is a standard 'weak' noun, and so in all cases in the singular *except* the nominative it ends in -n. It is declined in the singular thus: der Kunde, den Kunden, des Kunden, dem Kunden. Please never confuse 'der Kunde' with 'die Kunde', which means 'news (item)'.

Answer: Damen

If a feminine noun can form the plural by adding -n (or -en if it already ends in -e) it usually does so. But please note the key exceptions: 'die Mutter', pl. 'Mütter' and 'die Tochter', pl. 'die Töchter'. These have the same pattern as 'der Vater', pl. 'Väter'.

Answer: Zeitungen

All nouns ending in '-ung' form the plural by adding '-en'.

Answer: Frauen

If a feminine noun can form the plural by adding '-en' it usually does so, but there are a few exceptions, such as die Mutter - pl. die Mütter.

Answer: Städte

Please never confuse 'die Stadt' ('town') with 'der Staat' (pl. 'die Staaten') which means 'state'.

Answer: Männer

Note also: der Herr - pl. die Herren. This is a weak noun which is declined in the singular without an -e- in the ending, so the acc., gen. and dat. all have the form 'Herrn'.

Answer: Bücher

Means 'book'. Compare with 'das Haus' (pl. 'Häuser') - 'house'.

Answer: Augen

Means 'eye'. Despite the plural form, it is *not* declined as a weak noun in the singular.