Swap the last letter for one of four endings. Which one depends on the noun’s gender and whether its ending is hard or soft. A handful of everyday words are irregular.
1. The four plural endings
Russian has four plural endings in the dictionary form (the nominative plural, used for the subject of a sentence). Which one a noun takes depends on its gender and its last letter. Tap any word to hear the singular and plural.
2. How to make any noun plural, step by step
Every regular noun goes through the same three questions. Pick a word and watch it change: what you remove is crossed out, what you add is in red.
3. The spelling rule: when -ы becomes -и
After seven letters, г, к, х, ж, ш, ч, щ, Russian never writes ы. It writes и instead. This isn’t a new ending, just a spelling habit, but it affects some of the most common words.
4. Stress often moves in the plural
The stressed syllable (the one you say louder) often jumps in the plural. You won’t see this in normal Russian writing, so listen carefully. Neuter nouns are the most likely to change: the stress usually moves to the opposite end of the word.
5. Irregular plurals to learn by heart
A small number of very common nouns don’t follow the rules. They’re worth learning first, because you’ll use them every day.
| Singular | Plural | Say it | Meaning | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completely different words · the plural has a new root | ||||
| челове́к | LYU-di | person → people | A different word. After numbers 5+, use челове́к: пять челове́к. | |
| ребёнок | DYE-ti | child → children | A different word. The polite form ребя́та means “kids, guys”. | |
| Masculine nouns with stressed -а · not -ы, and the stress always falls on the -а | ||||
| дом | da-MA | houses | One of the most common words in this group. | |
| го́род | ga-ra-DA | cities | Stress moves to the very end. | |
| глаз | gla-ZA | eyes | Body parts that come in pairs often belong here. | |
| учи́тель | u-chi-tye-LYA | teachers | Soft nouns take -я instead of -а. | |
| Plurals in -ья · an extra -ья, sometimes with a new stem | ||||
| брат | BRAT’-ya | brothers | Add -ья. The stress stays where it was. | |
| друг | druz’-YA | friends | The г changes to з before -ья. | |
| стул | STOOL’-ya | chairs | Add -ья; same pattern as бра́тья. | |
| сын | sy-nav’-YA | sons | An extra -ов- is added before -ья. | |
| Fleeting vowels · a vowel in the last syllable drops out | ||||
| оте́ц | at-TSY | fathers | The е disappears when the ending is added. | |
| день | dnee | days | The е drops out; -ь becomes -и. | |
| пода́рок | pa-DAR-ki | presents | The о drops; -и because of the spelling rule after к. | |
6. Nouns with only one form
Some nouns exist only in the singular, others only in the plural, and some never change at all. English has a few of these too: “trousers” is always plural, “milk” has no plural.
7. Plurals after numbers
Here’s the surprise: after a number, Russian doesn’t use the plural you just learned. The ending depends on the last digit. After 1 you use the singular; after 2, 3 and 4 the genitive singular; after 5 and up the genitive plural.
8. The genitive plural: “many books”, “five tables”
After numbers 5 and up, and after мно́го (many) and ско́лько (how many), nouns go into the genitive plural. Its endings vary, but they follow the noun’s last letter.
9. Make it plural
Say the plural out loud, then reveal it. Watch for the spelling rule and the irregulars.