Plurals

🌸 MEERVOUD

Plurals | Grade 9 Afrikaans

1. What is Meervoud?

Meervoud means plural in Afrikaans. It is used when referring to more than one person, animal, object, or thing.

There are two forms:

Examples:

• Een kat → Twee katte (One cat → Two cats)

• Een hond → Drie honde (One dog → Three dogs)

• Een huis → Vier huise (One house → Four houses)

2. Rules for Meervoud

Rule 1: Add -e

The most common way to form a plural in Afrikaans is by adding -e.

Important: Not every word takes -e. Some take -s, -te, or other endings.

Rule 2: Double the final consonant

When a word has a short vowel followed by one consonant, you often double the consonant before adding -e.

Why? Doubling the consonant helps preserve the short vowel sound.

For example:

kat → katte

Not kate.

Rule 3: Remove one vowel

When a word contains a double vowel, you often remove one vowel when adding -e.

Example:

boom → bome

Not boome.

This happens because the vowel is now in an open syllable.

Rule 4: Words ending in -f

Some words ending in -f change the f to w when forming the plural.

However, not all words ending in -f follow this pattern.

Examples of exceptions:

• sjef → sjefs

• fotograaf → fotograwe

Rule 5: Words ending in -s

Some words ending in -s take -se, while others take -e.

Remember that some words require a doubled s to preserve the short vowel.

Rule 6: Words ending in -ing

Many words ending in -ing form their plural with -e.

Note: This is a mixed group. Many -ing words take -s, while some take -e. Learn the common forms individually.

Rule 7: Add -s

Many Afrikaans nouns take -s instead of -e, especially words ending in unstressed -el, -em, -en, -er, and several vowel endings.

Rule 8: Words ending in vowels

Some words ending in vowels take -s or an apostrophe plus s.

Important: The apostrophe is often used when the final vowel is stressed, or when it helps preserve the pronunciation or spelling of borrowed words.

Rule 9: Words ending in -heid

Words ending in -heid usually form the plural by changing -heid to -hede.

Formula:

-heid → -hede

Rule 10: Words ending in -te

Some nouns form their plurals by adding -te or changing their endings.

These are special patterns worth memorising.

3. Irregular plurals (Onreëlmatige meervoude)

Some Afrikaans nouns do not follow the usual rules.

These are especially important for your tests!

4. Words that do not normally change in the plural

Some Afrikaans words have the same form in the singular and plural, particularly when referring to measurements after a number.

Example:

• Ek is een jaar oud.

• Die kind is tien jaar oud.

You do not say tien jare oud.

However, jare is a valid plural in other contexts, such as oor baie jare (over many years).

5. Words with more than one plural form

Some Afrikaans nouns have two plural forms, sometimes with different meanings.

Example:

• Mans usually refers to men generally.

• Manne can refer to a particular group of men, or be used informally.

6. Summary for your test ♡

⭐ Most important examples to memorise

• kat → katte

• boom → bome

• boek → boeke

• tafel → tafels

• foto → foto’s

• brief → briewe

• kind → kinders

• stad → stede

• skip → skepe

• oog → oë

• dag → dae

• pad → paaie

• waarheid → waarhede