---
title: "Nouns with two plurals or only a plural"
level: B1
chapter: "Nouns and de or het"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/two-plurals
updated: 2026-10-08
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Nouns with two plurals or only a plural

A few Dutch nouns have two plurals, and the plural you pick usually signals the meaning: _bladen_ are magazines, _bladeren_ are leaves; _benen_ are legs, _beenderen_ are bones. Other nouns work the other way round. Words like _de kosten_ (costs) and _de hersenen_ (brain) are normally used in the plural, so they take a plural verb, even where English uses a singular.

## The pattern

> Some nouns have two plurals that usually differ in meaning; others have two plurals with the same meaning. A few nouns are normally used in the plural, and they take a plural verb.

- _het blad_: _de bladeren_ are leaves (you may also hear _blaren_), _de bladen_ are magazines, and trays in _de dienbladen_
- _het been_: _de benen_ are legs, _de beenderen_ are bones
- The singular does not tell you which meaning you have: _een blad_ can be a leaf or a magazine. The plural usually does. The long forms are not used for magazines or legs, but the short forms _bladen_ and _benen_ sometimes also mean leaves and bones.
- Some nouns have two plurals with the same meaning, like _zoons_ and _zonen_. Both are correct, so you cannot go wrong there.
- Normally plural: _de kosten_ (costs), _de hersenen_ (brain), _de notulen_ (minutes of a meeting), _de gegevens_ (personal details, data)
- _de ouders_ (parents): you hear the plural far more often, but the singular is normal when you mean one parent, as in _een alleenstaande ouder_ (a single parent).
- Plural noun, plural verb: _De kosten zijn hoog._ Group nouns like _de familie_ work differently, see [Group nouns and verb agreement](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/collective-nouns).

## Examples

| In de herfst liggen er overal **bladeren** op het fietspad. | In autumn there are leaves all over the cycle path. |
| Bij de kapper liggen altijd oude **bladen** op tafel. | At the hairdresser's there are always old magazines on the table. |
| Lotte had zo lang gefietst dat haar **benen** trilden. | Lotte had cycled for so long that her legs were shaking. |
| In het museum zie je de **beenderen** van een mammoet. | In the museum you can see the bones of a mammoth. |
| De **kosten** van de cursus **zijn** hoger dan Carlos dacht. | The cost of the course is higher than Carlos thought. |
| Als je slecht slaapt, **werken** je **hersenen** minder goed. | If you sleep badly, your brain works less well. |
| Fatima's **ouders komen** in juni uit Marokko op bezoek. | Fatima's parents are coming over from Morocco in June. |
| Wilt u controleren of uw **gegevens** nog **kloppen**? | Could you check whether your details are still correct? |
| Mei zoekt haar **bril**, maar die **zit** gewoon op haar hoofd. | Mei is looking for her glasses, but they're right there on her head. |

## Why it works this way

Centuries ago, a group of _het_-words made their plural with _-er_, as German still does. Later, Dutch added _-en_ on top, which is why you say _kinderen_, _eieren_ and _liederen_ (see [Irregular plurals](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/irregular-plurals)). _Blad_ and _been_ belonged to that group, and they also got an ordinary plural. Over time, the two plurals became linked to different meanings, although the split is not absolute. A handy way to see it: the long _-eren_ form goes with the oldest meaning. Leaves came long before magazines, and _been_ first meant bone (compare English bone).

In everyday speech, bones are usually _botten_ these days: _Daan heeft een bot gebroken._ _Beenderen_ sounds more formal, the word of museums and news reports.

Mostly plural nouns have no deep logic: each language decides for itself what counts as a collection. Dutch says _de kosten zijn_ where English says the cost is, and _je hersenen werken_ where English says your brain works. Informally you also hear _hersens_. _De ouders_ is simply a very frequent plural: the singular _de ouder_ is common whenever you mean one parent. English makes the opposite choice with trousers, scissors and glasses: _de broek_, _de schaar_ and _de bril_ are singular.

Remember: the long plural belongs on the forest floor. Fallen _bladeren_ and old _beenderen_ end up on the ground; _bladen_ lie on the coffee table and _benen_ get you to the station.

## Watch out

- Not: _De kosten is te hoog._ Say: _De kosten zijn te hoog._ (_kosten_ is plural, so the verb is plural too)
- Not: _Mijn hersenen werkt vandaag niet._ Say: _Mijn hersenen werken vandaag niet._ (English says brain, Dutch counts it as plural)
- Not: _Ik lees graag bladeren over koken._ Say: _Ik lees graag bladen over koken._ (magazines are _bladen_, _bladeren_ grow on trees)
- Not: _Mijn broek zijn nat van de regen._ Say: _Mijn broek is nat van de regen._ (one pair of trousers is one _broek_)
- Not: _Mijn beenen doen pijn._ Say: _Mijn benen doen pijn._ (open syllable, so one e)

## Quick check

1. Choose: _In de wachtkamer van de huisarts liggen stapels oude (bladen / bladeren)._
2. Fill in the present tense of _zijn_: _De kosten van onze verhuizing ... hoger dan we hadden gedacht._
3. Choose: _Na een lange fietstocht legt Emma thuis haar (benen / beenderen) omhoog op de bank._
4. Fix the sentence: _Mijn bril zijn weer zoek._

## Answers

1. _bladen_: these are magazines, and _bladeren_ is not used for magazines.
2. _zijn_: _kosten_ is plural.
3. _benen_: these are legs, and _beenderen_ is not used for legs.
4. _Mijn bril is weer zoek._ _De bril_ is singular in Dutch, even though English says glasses.

## Use it today

Next time you sit in a waiting room or on the train, describe what is lying around in one Dutch sentence, such as _Er liggen bladen op tafel_ or, in autumn, _Er liggen bladeren op het perron_. Then pick one bill this week and say out loud what it costs, starting with _De kosten zijn ..._.

## Questions learners ask

**What is the difference between bladen and bladeren in Dutch?**

Both are plurals of het blad. Bladeren (or blaren) are the leaves of a tree or plant, while bladen are magazines, and also trays in the compound dienbladen. Bladen is sometimes used for leaves too, but bladeren is not used for magazines.

**Is the plural of been in Dutch benen or beenderen?**

Both exist: benen usually means legs and beenderen means bones, although benen can sometimes mean bones too. In everyday speech, people usually say botten for bones.

**Why is kosten plural in Dutch?**

When Dutch talks about what something costs, it normally uses the plural noun de kosten, so you say de kosten zijn hoog, not de kosten is hoog. De hersenen (brain) and de gegevens (details) also take a plural verb.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.