Masculine regular plurals
Most masculine consonant stems take -ы or spelling-rule -и; -й and soft -ь usually lead to -и.
- The form учителя́ shows that soft-sign nouns still need lexical plural information: the stem type predicts softness, but not whether a masculine noun selects regular -и or lexical -я.
- Dictionary habit: If a masculine plural is not transparently regular, record it with stress: учи́тель - учителя́; го́род - города́.
| Singular type | Example | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| hard consonant | стол | столы́ |
| г, к, х, ж, ч, ш, щ | врач; каранда́ш | врачи́; карандаши́ |
| -й | музе́й; геро́й | музе́и; геро́и |
| masculine -ь | слова́рь; учи́тель | словари́; учителя́ |
Mini-check
1. Form the regular plurals: стол; врач; музе́й. 2. Which form must be stored lexically: *учи́тели or учителя́?
Apply this next
- Retrieve the rule without looking, then continue to the next lesson.