What is the Countable Form of Furniture?

Furniture can be counted, but we need to use a different word to refer to them. Learn more about counting furniture and why it is uncountable.

What is the Countable Form of Furniture?
Furniture, such as chairs and tables, can be counted, but we need to use a different word to refer to them. For example, two chairs and six tables are six items of furniture or six pieces of furniture. The house may not have any furniture, but we decided to rent it anyway. Countable nouns can refer to one thing (singular) or two or more things (plural). The noun 'furniture' is an aggregate noun, a word that represents an indefinite number of elements or parts. Furniture is a countless noun and is not used in the plural. We cannot say six furniture or six furnitures. Instead, we should use “a lot” instead of “a lot of” when referring to furniture. We can say “The house has some beautiful old furniture.” However, we cannot say “The house has some beautiful old furnitures.” To count furniture, we use the countable form of 'piece(s)'. We can say “The room on the left has more furniture than the one on the right” because furniture is uncountable. The word furniture is uncountable because it is almost always used as a mass noun taking a singular verb. A more complete answer would include that 'furniture' can be a count noun (plural 'furnitures') when talking about 15th and 16th Century French furnitures. Furniture is an uncountable noun, like any other countless noun (such as milk, hair, etc.), so we cannot use its plural form (furniture). We must use “a piece of furniture” like a drop of milk or a lock of hair or a loaf of bread, etc. Furniture is always followed by a singular verb: The furniture was in good condition. Examples of correct sentences include: “I have to buy some new furniture for my room”; “She likes old furniture”; and “My parents have too much furniture in their house.” In conclusion, furniture is an uncountable noun and cannot be pluralized. We must use the countable form of 'piece(s)' when counting furniture and use “a piece of furniture” when referring to one chair or table.