Portuguese Plurals Ending in -ÃO: Pães, Corações, and Mãos
Portuguese -ão nouns can form plurals in -ões, -ães, or -ãos, so learn each common noun with its plural.
Real Life Portuguese · 6 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
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.
Learn the three common plural endings
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.
Dois corações e duas canções.
Two hearts and two songs.
Comprei três pães e quatro limões.
I bought three rolls/breads and four lemons.
Meus irmãos moram em cidades diferentes.
My siblings live in different cities.
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.
As estações ficam cheias no horário de pico.
The stations get crowded at rush hour.
As mãos estão frias.
My hands are cold.
Os cães esperaram na porta.
The dogs waited by the door.
Put it into practice
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.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “My siblings live in different cities”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
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