Plurals are forms of words used to indicate that there is more than one thing. In Naija, all English language pluralization rules apply, but there are a couple other ways to denote plurals:

Adding the suffix dem

Examples:

• Singular: I dey wit my man. (I’m with my guy/friend.)
• Plural: I dey wit my man-dem. (I’m with my guys/friends.)
• Singular: Hu get dis car? (Who owns this car?)
• Plural: Hu get dis car-dem? (Who owns these cars?)

Notes:

• The marker dem comes from the English plural object pronoun them.
• Some Naija speakers add dem to words already in their plural form i.e man becomes men-dem and car becomes cars-dem.

Reduplicating adjectives

Adjectives can be reduplicated to mark plurals.

Examples:

• Singular: She get fine pikin. (She has a beautiful child.)
• Plural: She get fine-fine pikin. (She has beautiful children.)
• Singular: Dis na ashewo cloth. (This is a skimpy outfit.)
• Plurals: Dis na ashewo-ashewo cloth. (These are skimpy outfits.)

Using quantifiers

Quantifiers are sufficient to indicate plurality, making markers on nouns optional.

Examples:

• Singular: I get book for house. (I have a book at home.)
• Plural: I get plenti book for house. (I have lots of books at home.)
• Singular: Abeg, give me mineral. (Please, give me a soda.)
• Plural: Abeg, give me five mineral. (Please give me five sodas.)

What method of pluralization should I use and when?

There are no rules! Usage of the various ways to pluralize words vary based on dialect, region, and English language proficiency of the speaker. However pluralizing certain words in certain ways feels more natural than others.