Portuguese Plurals Ending in -ÃO: Pães, Corações, and Mãos — Practice

Learn the three common plural endings

Many Portuguese nouns ending in -ão form the plural with -ões: coração/corações, estação/estações. Others take -ães, such as pão/pães and cão/cães. A smaller group takes -ãos, including mão/mãos and irmão/irmãos.

There is no single ending that safely predicts every plural. When you learn a new -ão noun, record its plural at the same time. Grouping examples by their ending helps you remember patterns without turning them into a rule with too many exceptions.

Check the plural when writing an unfamiliar noun

The plural matters in both spelling and agreement: duas estações novas, dois pães quentinhos, minhas mãos. If a noun is unfamiliar, check a reliable dictionary rather than guessing from a neighboring word that happens to share its ending.

Listen for the plural in short phrases. Hearing a number plus the noun lets you connect the written form to natural speech and remember the word as a pair.

Remember: Common -ão plurals use -ões, -ães, or -ãos. Memorize each noun with its plural—coração/corações, pão/pães, mão/mãos—instead of relying on one universal rule.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. Two hearts and two songs.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Dois corações e duas canções.

2. I bought three rolls/breads and four lemons.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Comprei três pães e quatro limões.

3. My siblings live in different cities.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Meus irmãos moram em cidades diferentes.

4. The stations get crowded at rush hour.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   As estações ficam cheias no horário de pico.

5. My hands are cold.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   As mãos estão frias.

6. The dogs waited by the door.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Os cães esperaram na porta.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Common -ão plurals use -ões, -ães, or -ãos. Memorize each noun with its plural—coração/corações, pão/pães, mão/mãos—instead of relying on one universal rule.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Portuguese Plurals Ending in -ÃO: Pães, Corações, and Mãos lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.