Forming the plural of -s ending nationality and place of origin adjectives in Spanish

Written by qualified Spanish expert Inma Sánchez BA
Last updated: 2022-06-11
17 questions

Nationalities ending in -s in Spanish

There are lots of adjectives that refer to nationalities and places of origin which end in -s.

They form their plurals this way:

add -es  (masculine plural) 
add -as  (feminine plural)
Take for example adjective francés (French)

Un hombre francés
A French man

Dos hombres franceses
Two French men

Dos mujeres francesas
Two French women

Notice how the plural does not have an accent.
Have a look and listen to these examples:

Mis vecinos son aragoneses.My neighbours are from Aragón.

Mis amigas son aragonesas.My girlfriends are from Aragón.

Andrew y Matthew son ingleses, de Bristol.Andrew and Matthew are English, from Bristol.

Estas chicas rubias son inglesas, de Londres.These blond girls are English, from London.

Muchos hombres irlandeses hablan gaélico.Many Irish men speak Gaelic.

Muchas mujeres irlandesas tienen ojos azules.Many Irish women have blue eyes.

In Spanish this type of adjectives are not capitalised.

Soy Francés.
Soy francés.
I am French.

Son Franceses
Son franceses.
They are French.

See also Forming the singular feminine of -s ending nationality and place of origin adjectives in Spanish

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Examples and resources

Mis amigas son aragonesas.My girlfriends are from Aragón.
Mis vecinos son aragoneses.My neighbours are from Aragón.
Andrew y Matthew son ingleses, de Bristol.Andrew and Matthew are English, from Bristol.
Estas chicas rubias son inglesas, de Londres.These blond girls are English, from London.
Muchos hombres irlandeses hablan gaélico.Many Irish men speak Gaelic.
Muchas mujeres irlandesas tienen ojos azules.Many Irish women have blue eyes.
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