In German, depending on the ending that is added in order to form the plural number, five types of plural can be distinguished :
| Types of plural | Examples nominative plural | |
| Type A | ending -e | Berge, Tage |
| Type A Umlaut | ending -e with umlaut | Fälle, Kräfte |
| Type B | ending -er | Kinder, Bilder |
| Type B Umlaut | ending -er with umlaut | Männer, Bücher |
| Type C | without ending | Fahrer, Mädchen |
| Type C Umlaut | without ending with umlaut | Äpfel, Töchter |
| Type D | ending -(e)n* | Menschen, Schulen |
| Type E | ending -s | Autos, Omas |
* The ending -n instead of –en is used after a vowel (except for nouns that end in –ei and –au) and after –el and –er.