Lesson 21 - More accents! (Part 3)

When words become plural, the stress must stay on the same syllable where it was when the word was singular. This means that a written accent might be required on the plural where it wasn't on the singular -- or that the accent might disappear where it existed on the plural. Yes, accents are a pain!

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Rule:

Words that end in ión, án, ín, ón, ún, and és lose their accent in the plural.

Examples:

==> montón ==> montones

==> dirección ==> direcciones

==> jardín ==> jardines

Rule:

Words that end in en place the accent on the antepenultimate (third from last) syllable when in the plural.

Examples:

==> imagen ==> imágenes

==> joven ==> jóvenes

==> examen ==> exámenes

Exceptions (because there have to be exceptions):

carácter and régimen are exceptional in that the stress falls on a different syllable when they are in the plural.

caracteres

regímenes

End Lesson.