Lesson: Forming Plurals of French Words Ending in -AL
Introduction
In French, words ending in -al present a unique challenge when forming their plural versions. This lesson will guide you through the general rule and the exceptions to help you understand and apply the correct plural forms in your French conversations and writing.
General Rule
Most French nouns and adjectives ending in -al form their plural by replacing -al with -aux.
Examples:
- un cheval (a horse) → des chevaux (horses) : Les chevaux courent dans la prairie. The horses are running in the meadow.
- un canal (a canal) → des canaux (canals) : Les canaux de cette villes datent du 16e siècle. The canals of this city date back to the 16th century.
- un animal (an animal) → des animaux (animals) : Ces animaux sont en très bonne santé. These animals are in very good health.
- un bocal (a jar)→ des bocaux (jars) : Ma mère a préparé les bocaux pour y mettre la confiture. My mother prepared the jars to put the jam in.
- un journal (a newspaper) → des journaux (newspapers) : Les vendeurs de journaux, autrefois si nombreux, ont disparu. Newspaper vendors, once so numerous, have disappeared.
- un tribunal (a court) → des tribunaux (courts) : Les tribunaux du pays sont concentrés dans la capitale. The country’s courts are concentrated in the capital.
- un arsenal (an arsenal) → des arsenaux : La France a plusieurs grands arsenaux. France has several large arsenals.
- un signal (a signal) → des signaux (signals) : Plusieurs signaux ont alerté la police. Several signals alerted the police.
📌 This change is made to maintain the pronunciation integrity of the word in its plural form.
Exceptions :
Additionally, certain adjectives and some nouns that end in -al also do not follow the standard rule and form their plurals by simply adding -s.
Adjectives:
- bancal ( unsteady ) → bancals
- fatal ( fatal ) → fatals
- natal ( natal ) → natals
- naval ( naval ) → navals
More Nouns:
- un bal ( a ball/dance ) → des bals ( balls/dances )
- un carnaval ( a carnival ) → des carnavals ( carnivals )
- un récital ( a recital ) → des récitals ( recitals )
- un chacal ( a jackal ) → des chacals ( jackals )
- un festival ( a festival ) → des festivals ( festivals )
Some words have two plurals :
- glacial (icy) → glaciaux ( or glacials, note the irregular plural form)
🍀 Practice Exercises 🍀
Exercise : Form the Plural
By understanding these rules and exceptions, you will enhance your ability to use French nouns and adjectives correctly in both spoken and written forms. Practice these rules to improve your grammatical accuracy and confidence in using French.