Why can't you say "informations"?

Have you ever noticed something odd about the English word "information"? It never gets an "s" at the end. While German uses "Informationen" for multiple pieces of information, English handles this differently. Here's what you need to know.

Why "information" doesn't have a plural

In English, the word "information" is what we call an uncountable noun. This means it doesn't have a plural form — we use it the same way whether we're talking about one fact or many. That's why we never say "informations."

To clarify, sentences like these are incorrect:

"She gave me many informations about the event." ❌

"I found some useful informations online." ❌

Instead, we say:

"Thank you for the information." 

"The website provides useful information on local attractions."

How to express quantity with "information"

Since you can't say "informations," you might wonder how to talk about multiple pieces of information. While you can simply use "information" on its own, there are several helpful phrases that can express quantity.

The most common ones are "pieces of information" and "bits of information." You can also use more general phrases like "a lot of information," "some information," or "amount of information."

Here's how these phrases work in context:

"That's interesting information."

"Thank you for the helpful pieces of information."

"I'm sure all these bits of information will make my trip worthwhile."

"There's a lot of information to process."

"I need some information about the event."

"The amount of information available online is overwhelming."

Remember, "information" always remains the same whether you're talking about one fact or many. Once you start using these phrases more often, they'll feel natural — and you'll sound more fluent in English!

Want to see these phrases in action? Watch our Daily Dose of Denglisch Docs video to learn more.