German Noun Chart

English-German Plural/Singular Differences

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The following chart shows nouns that are singular or plural in German, but the opposite in English. We have also included a few other unusual singular/plural categories.

GERMAN Singular - ENGLISH Plural
Deutsch	English	Beispiel / Example
die Asche	ashes	Seine Asche liegt in London. His ashes lie in London.
der Balkan	the Balkans	auf dem Balkan in the Balkans
die Brille	glasses	Meine Brille ist neu. My glasses are new.
der Dank	thanks	Er hat unseren Dank. He has our thanks.
die Dynamik	the dynamics	Die Dynamik fehlte. The dynamics were missing.
der Export der Import	export(s) import(s)	Der Import sollte den Export nicht übersteigen. Imports should not exceed exports.
The words der Export and der Import are rarely used in the plural in German. Caution: eine Importe is an imported cigar.
das Feuerwerk	the fireworks	Das Feuerwerk war sehr schön. The fireworks were gorgeous.
das Gemüse ein Gemüse	vegetables a vegetable	Frisches Gemüse schmeckt am besten. Fresh vegetables taste the best. Slang: junges Gemüse = youngsters, young whippersnappers
der Hafer	oats	Der Hafer ist reif. The oats are ripe.
die Hose	pants	Seine Hose ist grau. His pants are gray.
der Import	import(s)	See der Export above.
der Inhalt	the contents	Der Inhalt ging verloren. The contents were lost.
die Kaserne	the barracks	Die Kaserne ist sehr alt. The barracks are very old.
der Klerus	the clergy	Der Klerus ist heilig. The clergy are holy.
die Lunge	lungs	Can also be plural in German: Diese Parks sind die grünen Lungen der Stadt. These parks are the green lungs of the city.
das Mittelalter	the Middle Ages	Das Mittelalter war eine schwere Zeit. The Middle Ages were difficult times.
die Polizei	the police	Die Polizei kommt. The police are coming.
das Quartier	quarters	Das Quartier ist nicht fertig. The quarters are not ready.
die Schere	the scissors	Die Schere ist scharf. The scissors are sharp.
die Statistik	statistics	Die Statistik lügt nicht. Statistics don't lie.
die Traube	bunch of grapes	The singular can also refer to "a grape," while the plural Trauben refers to grapes.
die Treppe	the stairs/steps staircase	Die Treppe ist steil. The steps are steep.
The word die Treppe can also mean "step" (on stairs). The plural Treppen means "stairs."
die Umgebung	surroundings	Die Umgebung ist schmutzig. The surroundings are dirty.
das Unkraut	the weeds	Das Unkraut war hoch. The weeds were high.
das Vieh das Rindvieh	cattle	Das Vieh weidet. The cattle are grazing.
das Volk	the people*	Wir sind das Volk. We are the people.
*das Volk means the people of a nation. Sometimes it is even translated as "nation." It is different from die Leute (people in general) or die Menschen (human beings, mankind).
die Zange	the tongs	Die Zange ist dort. The tongs are there.
GERMAN Plural - ENGLISH Singular
die Depressionen	depression (illness)	Er hatte Depressionen. He was suffering from depression.
Singular die Depression is used for most senses of the word (financial, elevation, etc.), but the mental condition is plural in German.
die Ferien	vacation, (Brit.) holidays	Die Sommerferien kommen bald. Summer vacation is coming soon.
die Haare	hair*	Meine Haare sind zu lang. My hair is too long.
*Hair is usually plural in German (die Haare). Das/Ein Haar refers to one hair, but you can say either "sie hat rotes Haar" (sing.) or "sie hat rote Haare" (plur.) for "she has red hair."
die Informationen die Infos	information/info	Die Infos kamen zu spät. The info came too late.
die Möbel	the furniture	Die Möbel waren ganz neu. The furniture was quite new.
The singular das Möbel ("piece of furniture") is rarely used.
die Ovationen	ovation	Der Vorstand wurde mit stehenden Ovationen empfangen. The board was received with a standing ovation.
The singular die Ovation can also be used, but the plural form has become more common in German.
die USA	the USA	Die USA sind ein großes Land. The USA is a large country.
German Singular - English -s Ending - Verb Still Singular
die Mathematik	mathematics	Usually shortened to just Mathe
die Physik	physics	---
Only Plural in German - Unusual or No Singular
die Eltern	parents	One parent: das Elternteil
die Ferien	vacation, (Brit.) holidays	No singular form in German
die Geschwister	siblings, brothers & sisters	Sing.: die Schwester/der Bruder The formal singular, das Geschwister, means "sibling"
die Leute	people	Sing.: die Person
die Kosten	costs/cost	No German singular
die Möbel	furniture	piece of furniture = das Möbelstück
The singular das Möbel ("piece of furniture") is rarely used.
die Spagetti die Spaghetti	spaghetti	Deine Spagetti werden kalt. Your spaghetti is getting cold.
Even with the new spelling, Spagetti is still plural in German, which explains why German-speakers often say "spaghettis" in English. Caution: Avoid der Spagetti, which is a slang word meaning "wop" or "dago."
Do you know of a good plural/singular example we left out? Let me know at: german.guide@about.com

MORE > When the Plural is Singular > Singular/Plural > German Noun Plurals

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