In this lesson, we talk about the plural in Spanish. In particular, we talk about the plural when it refers to nouns. Let's start this lesson with a little quiz. Do you know the plural form of the following nouns?:

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1. Casa (house)

2. Perro (dog)

3. Universidad (university)

4. Lápiz (pencil)

5. Jabalí (wild boar)

6. Análisis (analysis)

If you are not sure about how to make a singular noun plural in Spanish, we invite you to take a look at the following simple rules. While going through these rules, we will be unveiling the plural form of the 6 nouns we included in our quiz. Let's take a look.

Rule 1: Add an 'S' to form the plural of nouns ending in unstressed vowels

- Casa (house) - Casas (houses)

- Estudiante (student) - Estudiantes (students)

- Perro (perro) - Perros (dogs)

Se escucha un perro.

You can hear a dog.

Caption 43, Conversaciones en el parque - Cap. 2: Cafe y bocadillos

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Tus perros también son muy bonitos.

Your dogs are very beautiful too.

Caption 58, Conversaciones en el parque - Cap. 2: Cafe y bocadillos

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Rule 2: Add an 'S' to form the plural of nouns ending in stressed 'a,' 'e' and 'o'

- Papá (dad) - Papás (dads)

- Dominó (domino) - Dominós (dominoes)

- Café (coffee) - Cafés (coffees)

Y les voy a mostrar el proceso de control de calidad de café de Colombia.

And I'm going to show you the quality-control process for coffee from Colombia.

Caption 5, Una Historia de Café - La Bodega

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Cada uno de estos cafés tiene distintas cualidades tanto físicas como sensoriales.

Each one of these coffees has different qualities both physically and sensorially.

Caption 14, Una Historia de Café - La Bodega

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Rule 3: Add 'ES' or 'S' to form the plural of nouns ending in stressed 'i' and 'u'

- Bisturí (scalpel) - Bisturíes or bisturís (scalpels)

- Jabalí (wild boar) - Jabalíes or jabalís (wild boars)

- Tabú (taboo) - Tabúes or tabús (taboos)

Generally speaking, however, it is preferred to use the plural formed with 'ES'.

Also, this rule is very common when you are dealing with adjectives of nationality:

- Iraní (Iranian) - Iraníes or iranís (Iranians)

Rule 4: Add 'ES' to form the plural of nouns ending in consonant

- Árbol (tree) - Árboles (trees)

- Profesor (teacher) - Profesores (teachers)

- Universidad (university) - Universidades (universities)

- Rey (king) - Reyes (kings)

La rata esta es el rey de la estafa por allá en Europa.

This rat is the king con artist over there in Europe.

Caption 45, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 1

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Actualmente es la residencia oficial de los reyes de España.

Currently, it's the official residence of the King and Queen of Spain.

Caption 23, Madrid - Un recorrido por la capital de España

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Notice that the singular noun árbol has a graphic accent in the second-to-last syllable (palabra grave). However, when you form the plural, the graphic accent moves to the third-to-last-syllable becoming a proparoxytone word (palabra esdrújula). Similarly, singular nouns like profesor and universidad that are stressed in the last syllable (palabras agudas) become paroxytone words (palabras graves) in the plural form. 

Rule 5: When a noun ends in 'Z,' the plural form switches the 'Z' for a 'C'

- Lápiz (pencil) - Lápices (pencils) 

- Raíz (root) - Raíces (roots)

- Voz (voice) - Voces (voices)

Tengo muy buena voz.

I have a very good voice.

Caption 91, Los casos de Yabla - Problemas de convivencia

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Vuelven esas voces a mi cabeza.

Those voices come back to my head.

Caption 37, El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos - Subjuntivo y condicional

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Rule 6: Nouns ending in 'S' or 'X' that are the same in singular and plural in Spanish.

Paroxytone or proparoxytone nouns ending in 's' or 'x' keep the same form in plural. Let's see some examples:

- Cactus (cactus) - Cactus (cactuses/cacti)

- Tórax (thorax) - Tórax (thoraxes/thoraces)

- Análisis (analysis) - Análisis (analyses/tests)

Y en un análisis de nuestras debilidades, oportunidades, fortalezas y amenazas.

And an analysis of our weaknesses, opportunities, strengths and threats.

Caption 37, Raquel y Marisa - Español Para Negocios - Crear una empresa

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...para hacerle los análisis de sangre, de heces.

...to do the blood tests, stool (tests).

Caption 54, Santuario para burros - Santuario

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That's it for now. We hope these rules help you to use the plural in Spanish. If you feel like practicing a little bit more, take 20 nouns and try to form their plural forms. And of course, don’t forget to send us your feedback and suggestions.

The Spanish verb asistir (to be present, to attend) has many different meanings depending on the context. Let's learn how to use this interesting verb.
 

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The verb asistir derives from the latin assistĕre, which literally means "to stop next to," and that’s the basic meaning of this verb:

Para asistir a una reunión de trabajo.

To attend a business meeting.

Caption 4, Raquel - La Compra de un Billete de Tren

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This verb is always accompanied by the preposition a. Here's another example using a conjugated form of the verb:

Así que, por primera vez en Animales en familia asistimos a una doble cirugía.

So, for the first time on "Animales en familia" ("Animals in the Family"), we witness a double surgery.

Captions 8-9, Animales en familia - La operación de Yaki

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As you can see in the example above, the verb asistir may have different translations. The following example uses the imperative form of the verb:

Así que, no dejes de formarte. Lee libros, asiste a seminarios.

So, don't stop educating yourself. Read books, go to seminars.

Captions 59-60, Raquel y Marisa - Español Para Negocios - Crear una empresa

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In certain contexts the verb asistir means "to attend to," in which case it's very common to use the passive voice. The passive voice uses the participle asistido and the preposition por(by), as you can see in the following example:

La enfermera asiste al paciente / El paciente es asistido por la enfermera.
The nurse attends to the patient / The patient is attended by the nurse.

Additionally, asistir also means "to give help or assistance":

El principal rol de un asistente quirúrgico es asistir al cirujano durante una operación.
The primary role of a surgical assistant is to assist the surgeon during an operation.

As in English, the verb asistir is also used in sports to describe the act of enabling another player making a good play:

¡Messi asistió a Suárez sin siquiera tocar la pelota!
Messi assisted Suarez without even touching the ball!

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Finally the verb asistir is used to express the idea of reason or law being on somebody's side:

Al demandate le asiste el derecho y la razón. 
The plaintiff has the law and reason on his side.