Portuguese nouns and adjectives ending in the letter l form the plural according to a small set of regular patterns. The key factor is the vowel that precedes the final consonant.
For this reason, these words can be grouped into five subcategories: -al, -el, -ol, -ul, and -il. The -il subcategory is more nuanced and requires closer attention.
Words ending in -al
Words ending in -al form the plural by dropping the final l and adding -is.
- animal → animais (animal → animals)
This rule is consistent and applies to the vast majority of words in this subgroup.
Words ending in -el
Words ending in -el follow the same structural rule: the final l disappears and -is is added. Accent placement, however, depends on stress.
When the word is stressed on the final syllable, the plural takes an accent on e:
- anel → anéis (ring → rings)
When stress falls on an earlier syllable, the accent remains where it already was:
- automóvel → automóveis (car → cars)
Words ending in -ol
The -ol subgroup behaves in the same way. The l is dropped, -is is added, and an accent appears when stress falls on the final syllable:
- lençol → lençóis (bedsheet → bedsheets)
Words ending in -ul
Words ending in -ul are relatively uncommon, but the plural is formed regularly. The l disappears and -is is added, with no accent change:
- azul → azuis (blue → blues)
Words ending in -il
The -il subgroup is the exception. Here, plural formation depends directly on stress placement.
If the word is stressed on the final syllable, the l disappears and only -s is added, since the i is already present:
- imbecil → imbecis (imbecile → imbeciles)
If the word is not stressed on the final syllable, both i and l disappear and are replaced by -eis:
- versátil → versáteis (versatile → versatile [plural])
This stress-based distinction makes -il words less predictable than the other groups. In all other cases, Portuguese words ending in l form the plural by replacing l with -is.
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