Words that are always plural in Russian

  My husband and I were talking (in English) about chess the other day, and I referred to the game as 'them'. He asked me why, and I realized it was because chess in Russian – шахматы – is always plural. It's not the only word like that. For example, just like in English scissors and trousers are always plural, their Russian brothers are plural as well.

брюки - (formal) trousers

штаны - trousers, pants

джинсы - jeans 

шорты - shorts 

ножницы - scissors 

плоскогубцы (пассатижи) - lineman's pliers

кусачки (острогубцы) - diagonal pliers, wire cutters

щипцы - tongs, pliers, hair crimper

вилы - pitchfork

ворота - gate, gates

очки - glasses

шахматы - chess

весы - weigh-scales

часы - clock, watch

носилки - litter, palanquin, stretchers

Ножницы is always plural.

деньги - money

дрова - firewood

обои - wallpaper

белила - whitewash

кудри - curls

сливки - cream; the toffs

каникулы - holidays, vacation

выборы - election, voting

переговоры - negotiations, parley

проводы - farewell ceremony

похороны - funeral

хлопоты - ado, fuss, business, cares, trouble

прения - debate, discussion, controversy 

дебри - thicket, jungle, wilderness

недра - minerals, the bowels of the earth

Now you understand why your Russian friends sometimes say funerals instead of funeral. ;)

Note: there is a word провод (wire, cable) whose plural form is провода, not проводы (farewell ceremony).

Another word to remember is очко (point, ace, pip), plural — очки, just like очки (glasses).

Час means hour, so часы means both hours and a watch. There are many such homonyms in Russian.