In Bosnian, plurals form depending entirely on the grammatical gender. Here is your clear, step-by-step guide to the four noun categories.
In Bosnian, a word’s plural form depends entirely on its grammatical gender. Unlike English, where we mostly just add “-s” or “-es,” Bosnian has four distinct patterns based on how the word ends in its singular form.
Here is your clear, step-by-step guide to the four noun categories.
Table of Contents
Curious about learning Bosnian? Read our post about how to tell time.
The 4 Core Rules for Bosnian Plurals
To make a noun plural in the nominative case, look at how the word ends in the singular.
1. Masculine Nouns (Muški rod)
If a masculine word ends in a consonant, you form the plural by adding -i.
- Fudbaler (Football player) -> Fudbaleri (Football players)
- Prozor (Window) -> Prozori (Windows)
- Prijatelj (Friend) -> Prijatelji (Friends)
⚠️ Note: Very short masculine words (usually one syllable) often add -ovi or -evi instead of just -i.
- Examples: Gol (Goal) -> Golovi (Goals) | Nož (Knife) -> Noževi (Knives)
2. Feminine Nouns Ending in “-a” (Ženski rod)
For standard feminine words ending in the vowel -a, drop the -a and replace it with -e.
- Kafa (Coffee) -> Kafe (Coffies)
- Knjiga (Book) -> Knjige (Books)
- Zastava (Flag) -> Zastave (Flags)
3. Neuter Nouns (Srednji rod)
Neuter nouns always end in -o or -e in the singular. Drop that final vowel and replace it with -a.
- Pismo (Letter) -> Pisma (Letters)
- Selo (Village) -> Sela (Villages)
- Prvenstvo (Championship) -> Prvenstva (Championships)
4. Feminine Nouns Ending in a Consonant (The 4th Declension)
This category trips up many learners. These words end in a consonant, so they look masculine, but they are grammatically feminine. To make them plural, add -i.
- Riječ (Word) -> Riječi (Words)
- Stvar (Thing) -> Stvari (Things)
- Noć (Night) -> Noći (Nights)
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Quick-Glance Plural Table
| Noun Category | Singular Ending | Plural Ending | Everyday Example |
| Masculine | Consonant | -i (or -ovi) | Prozor -> Prozori |
| Feminine (-a) | -a | -e | Kafa -> Kafe |
| Neuter | -o / -e | -a | Pismo -> Pisma |
| Feminine (Consonant) | Consonant | -i | Riječ -> Riječi |
Exercise: Singular to Plural
Transform each singular noun into its plural form. Choose from the 4 rules.
| Singular | Your Answer |
|---|---|
| stol (table) | ________ |
| torba (bag) | ________ |
| pivo (beer) | ________ |
| noć (night) | ________ |
| prijatelj (friend) | ________ |
| selo (village) | ________ |
| žena (woman) | ________ |
| most (bridge) | ________ |
Correct answers: stolovi, torbe, piva, noći, prijatelji, sela, žene, mostovi
If you are ready to learn Bosnian greetings next, check out this recent post.
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Why does Bosnian have four different plural rules instead of just one like English?
English is unusually simple when it comes to plurals. Most Slavic languages, including Bosnian, change endings based on gender. The good news is that the four rules are consistent. Once you know whether a word is masculine, feminine (ending in -a), neuter, or feminine (ending in a consonant), you already know which rule to apply. English has exceptions too (child → children, tooth → teeth). Bosnian just has more patterns, not more chaos.
How do I know if a word is masculine or feminine if it ends in a consonant?
This is the trickiest part. Words ending in a consonant are usually masculine, but not always. Common feminine exceptions include riječ (word), stvar (thing), noć (night), kost (bone), pomoć (help), and ljubav (love). These nouns are usually abstract, and many of them end with -ost. However, once you come across them, you will know by the context. The feminine nouns appear with feminine adjectives.
What about words like grad? Why does it become gradovi and not gradi?
Short, one-syllable masculine words often take -ovi or -evi instead of just -i. There’s no strict rule for which short words take which ending.
My advice: Learn the plural at the same time you learn the singular. When you learn grad, also learn gradovi. When you learn prozor, learn prozori. Over time, the pattern becomes natural.
Do all neuter nouns end in -o or -e in the singular?
Most do, but there are exceptions borrowed from other languages. For example, auto (car) is masculine, not neuter, even though it ends in -o. That’s a loanword from German. Biro (office) is also masculine.
The rule: Native Bosnian neuter nouns end in -o or -e. Loanwords can be tricky. When in doubt, check a dictionary or learn the gender with the word (jedan auto = one car; “jedan” tells you it’s masculine).
Why does dijete (child) become djeca (children)? That doesn’t follow any rule.
It doesn’t. Dijete → djeca is an irregular plural, just like English child → children. There are a few irregulars in Bosnian, but they’re rare.
Do adjectives also change in the plural?
Yes! In Bosnian, adjectives must match the noun in gender, number, and case. So a plural noun takes a plural adjective.