CARROTTA
carrotta.net
🔀 Compendium
Grammar
FR
Français — irregular plurals
Most nouns add -s, but certain endings take -x, some words never change, and a few are fully irregular like œil → yeux.
1
How it works
✓ Rule
Words in -al usually become -aux (cheval → chevaux). Endings -eau, -eu and seven words in -ou add -x (bateau → bateaux, jeu → jeux, bijou → bijoux). Nouns already ending in -s, -x or -z stay the same (le prix → les prix).
2
Examples
| Singular → plural | Rule / meaning |
|---|---|
| cheval → chevaux | -al → -aux (horse) |
| gâteau → gâteaux | -eau → -eaux (cake) |
| cheveu → cheveux | -eu → -eux (hair) |
| genou → genoux | -ou → -oux, one of the seven (knee) |
| clou → clous | regular -ou → -ous (nail) |
| le nez → les nez | ends in -z, invariable (nose) |
| œil → yeux | fully irregular (eye) |
3
Good to know
⚠ Note
The -ou → -oux rule covers only seven words (bijou, caillou, chou, genou, hibou, joujou, pou); every other -ou word takes a normal -s (trou → trous). A handful of -al words are also regular: bal → bals, festival → festivals, carnaval → carnavals.