Pluralnominative

Plural nominative, or plural nominative case, is the form used for plural nouns and pronouns when they function as the subject of a sentence or as a predicate nominative in languages that mark grammatical case. It contrasts with other cases such as the accusative, genitive, or dative, which indicate different syntactic roles or relationships.

In languages with explicit case endings, the plural nominative is typically distinguished from the singular nominative by specific plural endings and sometimes by article or adjective agreement. The form chosen depends on the noun’s declension pattern and the language’s morphosyntax. For example, German uses die Hunde as the nominative plural subject in Die Hunde laufen (The dogs are running). Russian uses кошки in the nominative plural for subjects, as in Кошки спят (The cats are sleeping). Latin marks nominative plural for subjects with forms such as amici (friends) in Amici dominum salutarent (Friends would save the master), illustrating how the nominative marks the subject in classic inflectional systems.

English presents a limited case distinction, with nouns generally not changing in the plural, but pronouns retain a nominative form (they, we) used for plural subjects. Other languages may require agreement between nouns, adjectives, and determiners in number and case within the noun phrase.

Overall, the plural nominative is a key concept in understanding how languages with rich case inventories encode the subject role and agreement in plural form, shaping sentence structure and syntax across varieties of the case system. See also nominative case and plurality in grammar.