LangritComparison in Dutch
To compare two things or pick out "the best", Dutch uses short suffixes, much like English bigger / biggest. The good news for English speakers: Dutch adds the suffixes even to long adjectives (interessanter, moeilijkst), where English switches to "more/most".
The basic rule
| Form | Suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Base adjective | – | klein (small) |
| Comparative | -er | kleiner (smaller) |
| Superlative | -st | kleinst (smallest) |
Mijn huis is klein. — My house is small.
Jouw huis is kleiner. — Your house is smaller.
Zijn huis is het kleinst. — His house is the smallest.
Important spelling changes
- Adjectives ending in -r take -der in the comparative: duur (expensive) → duurder → duurst.
- One-syllable adjectives with a short vowel double the final consonant: dik (fat) → dikker → dikst.
- Adjectives ending in -s add only -t in the superlative: fris (fresh) → frisser → frist.
Irregular adjectives
| Base | Comparative | Superlative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| goed | beter | best | good |
| veel | meer | meest | much / many |
| weinig | minder | minst | little / few |
| graag | liever | liefst | gladly |
Ik vind koffie beter dan thee. — I think coffee is better than tea.
Hij eet het meest. — He eats the most.
"than" and "as ... as"
For "X is more ... than Y", Dutch uses dan (never als in standard Dutch):
Anna is ouder dan Peter. — Anna is older than Peter.
For equality, use net zo ... als or even ... als:
Mijn auto is net zo snel als jouw auto. — My car is just as fast as your car.
The superlative as predicate: het
When the superlative is the predicate of the sentence, it appears as het + adjective + -st, regardless of the noun's gender:
Deze film is het mooist. — This film is the most beautiful.
Before a noun the superlative takes the article of that noun instead, plus an -e: de mooiste film, het grootste huis.