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Words ending in '-m' take '-ns' in the plural: 'homem', 'homens'

In Portuguese, a noun or adjective that ends in -m does not simply add -s in the plural. The -m turns into -n and then the -s is added: homem becomes homens, jardim becomes jardins, bom becomes bons and som becomes sons.

English speakers trip over this because English just adds -s to almost everything, so forms like homems or mensagems feel natural. They are always wrong. Portuguese spelling never allows -ms at the end of a word. The good news is that the rule has no exceptions among ordinary words, and the sound barely changes.

Word list
bommA1 good bons fimmA1 end fins garçommA1 waiter garçons homemmA1 man homens imagemfA1 picture imagens jardimmA1 garden jardins jovemA1 young jovens (no accent) marromA1 brown marrons mensagemfA1 message mensagens ruimA1 bad ruins (= bad, not ruínas) tremmA1 train trens álbummA2 album álbuns (accent kept) atummA2 tuna atuns comumA2 common comuns garagemfA2 garage garagens jovemA2 teenager os/as jovens maquiagemfA2 makeup maquiagens (Brazilian Portuguese) maquilhagemfA2 makeup maquilhagens (European Portuguese) nuvemfA2 cloud nuvens passagemfA2 ticket passagens selvagemA2 wild selvagens sommA2 sound sons viagemfA2 travel viagens amendoimmB1 peanut amendoins aterragemfB1 landing aterragens (European Portuguese) aterrissagemfB1 landing aterrissagens bagagemfB1 luggage bagagens batommB1 lipstick batons blindagemfB1 armor blindagens comumB1 common comuns decolagemfB1 takeoff decolagens descolagemfB1 takeoff descolagens (European Portuguese) fórummB1 forum fóruns (accent kept) incomumB1 unusual incomuns margemfB1 coast margens massagemfB1 massage massagens paisagemfB1 landscape paisagens (belas paisagens = beautiful scenery) passagemfB1 fare passagens personagemB1 character personagens pinguimmB1 penguin pinguins vantagemfB1 advantage vantagens berbequimmB2 drill berbequins desordemfB2 disorder desordens desvantagemfB2 disadvantage desvantagens edredommB2 duvet edredons embalagemfB2 packaging embalagens jejummB2 fasting jejuns margemfB2 bank margens ordemfB2 order ordens ordemfB2 order ordens origemfB2 origin origens pelagemfB2 fur pelagens percentagemfB2 percentage percentagens porcentagemfB2 percentage porcentagens portagemfB2 toll portagens tatuagemfB2 tattoo tatuagens tommB2 shade tons armazémmC1 warehouse armazéns (accent kept) barragemfC1 dam barragens bemmC1 asset bens boletimmC1 newsletter boletins carruagemfC1 carriage carruagens carruagemfC1 carriage carruagens (railway cars) chantagemfC1 blackmail chantagens cupimmC1 termite cupins desvantagemfC1 downside desvantagens folhagemfC1 foliage folhagens lobisomemmC1 werewolf lobisomens margemfC1 margin margens pastagemfC1 pasture pastagens refémC1 hostage reféns (accent kept) rimmC1 kidney rins selimmC1 saddle selins vertigemfC1 dizziness vertigens virgemC1 virgin virgens bandagemfC2 bandage bandagens guaxinimmC2 raccoon guaxinins miragemfC2 mirage miragens paisagemfC2 landscape paisagens peregrinagemfC2 pilgrimage peregrinagens
How it works

The final -m in these words is not a real m sound. It only shows that the vowel before it is nasal. In the plural, Portuguese writes that nasal sound with n instead, because n comes before consonants such as s. The vowel keeps the same nasal sound, and you add a light s.

  • -em becomes -ens: nuvem, nuvens
  • -im becomes -ins: fim, fins
  • -om becomes -ons: bom, bons
  • -um becomes -uns: atum, atuns

Nothing else changes. Gender stays the same: a viagem, as viagens. Articles and adjectives around the word agree as usual.

Os homens fizeram várias viagens.
(The men made several trips.)
As nuvens estão escuras.
(The clouds are dark.)
The words
Nouns in -agem and -igem

This is the biggest group, and all of these nouns are feminine: imagem, mensagem, garagem, viagem, bagagem, paisagem, tatuagem, vantagem, desvantagem, chantagem, massagem, miragem, embalagem, pastagem, aterrissagem, decolagem, passagem, portagem, porcentagem, barragem, bandagem, peregrinagem, origem and vertigem. Personagem belongs here too. It can be masculine or feminine.

As mensagens tinham imagens.
(The messages had images.)
Comprei duas passagens para Lisboa.
(I bought two tickets to Lisbon.)
Other nouns in -em

homem, lobisomem, nuvem, trem, margem, ordem, desordem, virgem, bem (asset, plural bens), armazém and refém.

Os trens chegam sempre atrasados.
(The trains always arrive late.)
Nouns in -im

fim, jardim, pinguim, amendoim, rim, guaxinim, selim, berbequim, boletim and cupim.

Os jardins da cidade são lindos.
(The city's gardens are beautiful.)
Vimos muitos pinguins no zoológico.
(We saw lots of penguins at the zoo.)
Nouns in -om and -um

som, tom, batom, garçom, edredom, atum, jejum, álbum and fórum.

Os garçons deste restaurante são simpáticos.
(The waiters in this restaurant are friendly.)
Adjectives

The rule works the same way for bom, ruim, jovem (also a noun, a young person), marrom, comum, incomum and selvagem.

Eles são bons homens.
(They are good men.)
Os jovens gostam de sapatos marrons.
(Young people like brown shoes.)
Watch out
Accents stay where they are

Words with a written accent keep it: armazém, armazéns, refém, reféns, álbum, álbuns, fórum, fóruns. Words without an accent do not gain one: jovem, jovens, viagem, viagens.

Guardo as fotos antigas em dois álbuns.
(I keep the old photos in two albums.)
Ruins is not ruins

The plural of ruim is ruins, which looks like the English word but means bad. In Portuguese, ruins as ruined buildings are ruínas.

Esses filmes são muito ruins.
(Those films are really bad.)

The typical mistake is writing -ms. If you ever see -ms at the end of a Portuguese word you have written, change it to -ns.

Summary

If a noun or adjective ends in -m, swap the -m for -ns in the plural: homem, homens; fim, fins; bom, bons; álbum, álbuns. Gender and accents stay the same, and a Portuguese word never ends in -ms.