Singular means that there is one. Plural means that there is more than one. The plural is indicated by the ending J. Use the J-ending with nouns, adjectives and correlatives ending in U, and A.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| (unu) tago - (one) day | (pluraj) tagoj - (several) days |
| (unu) granda domo - (one) big house | (tri) grandaj domoj - (three) big houses |
| ilia granda domo - their big house | iliaj grandaj domoj - their big houses |
| alia homo - another person | aliaj homoj - other people |
| la unua tago - the first day | la unuaj tagoj - the first days |
| iu - someone | iuj - some people |
| tiu homo - this person (homo= human being) | tiuj homoj - these people |
| tia speco - that kind of species | tiaj specoj - those kind of species |
| La kato estas nigra. - The cat is black. | La katoj estas nigraj. - The cats are black. |
| Ĝi estas granda, sed bela. - It is big but beautiful. | Ili estas grandaj, sed belaj. - They are big but beautiful. |
| Vi estas bela. - You are beautiful. | Vi estas belaj. - You (all) are beautiful. |
| Ĉiu miris pri tio. - Everyone wondered about that. | Ĉiuj miris pri tio. - All wondered about that. |
| Kia estis la respondo? - What kind of answer was it? | Kiaj estis la respondoj? - What kind of answers were they? |
When the N-ending is used, it comes after J: tagojn, grandajn, aliajn, nigrajn, iliajn, tiujn, neniajn.
If an adjective describes several nouns it take the J-ending because the meaning is plural.
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La tablo kaj la seĝo estas eluzitaj. - The table and the chair are worn.
One table and one chair are two objects. Both are worn.
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En la ĉambro estis verdaj seĝo kaj tablo. - In the room there was a green chair and table.
There was (one) green chair and (one) green table. The adjective "verdaj" is plural because it refers to two objects, both to "seĝo" and "tablo". If "verda" were singular, it would indicate that only the chair is green, but not the table.
Sometimes an adjective modifies a noun with a J-ending, but means to describe only one of the several things. Then the adjective should not have the J-ending.
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Tie staris pluraj grandaj kaj unu malgranda tabloj. - There stood several large and one small table.
Although malgranda modifies the word tabloj there is no J, because it describes only one of the tables.
- Mi volas verdan kaj ruĝan krajonojn. = ...unu verdan krajonon kaj unu ruĝan krajonon. - I want a green and a red pencil.
- Venis Franca kaj Germanaj gastoj. = Venis unu Franca kaj pluraj Germanaj gastoj. - One French and several German guests came.
A plural adjective together with several singular nouns can sometimes seem like a strange combination, but it's quite logical. Zamenhof often avoided that kind of combination, using a singular adjective, especially when the adjective was a possessive pronoun, or when there were several abstract nouns.
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Mia frato kaj fratino = mia frato kaj mia fratino = miaj frato kaj fratino. - My brother and sister.
Nowadays the preferred from is miaj frato kaj fratino.
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La simpla lernado kaj uzado de Esperanto. - The simple learning and use of Esperanto.
Simpla is understood before uzado. Alternatively one can say that lernado kaj uzado together are one idea.
Likewise Zamenhof often avoided using several singular adjectives together with one plural noun.
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Estis inter la sepa kaj oka horo vespere. = ...la sepa kaj (la) oka horoj... - It was between seven and eight o'clock in the evening.
Nowadays one would perhaps recommend inter la sepa kaj oka horoj (or inter la sepa horo kaj la oka).