An adjective is a word that describes something: groot (big), duur (expensive), mooi (beautiful). In Dutch, such a word has three forms. Dutch calls them the three steps of a staircase: de trappen van vergelijking.
The three steps
The first step is the plain word: groot. The second step adds -er. That is the comparative: groter. The third step adds -st. That is the superlative: grootst.
| Plain | Comparative | Superlative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| groot | groter | grootst | big, bigger, biggest |
| klein | kleiner | kleinst | small, smaller, smallest |
| snel | sneller | snelst | fast, faster, fastest |
| mooi | mooier | mooist | beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful |
| lang | langer | langst | long, longer, longest |
Dutch uses "more" and "most" much less than English. Even long words usually just take -er and -st: belangrijker, belangrijkst (more important, most important).
Comparing two things: dan or als?
When one thing is bigger than the other, use the comparative with dan (than). When both are the same, use even or zo with als (as). The plain word goes in between, without -er.
Not equal: -er + dan
- De trein is sneller dan de bus.
- Mijn broer is ouder dan ik (My brother is older than me).
- Also after beter, meer, minder and liever: Ik drink liever thee dan koffie.
Equal: even ... als
- De trein is even snel als de bus.
- Mijn broer is even oud als ik (My brother is as old as me).
- Zo works too: Hij is zo groot als zijn vader.
Spelling changes
Before -er, the same spelling rules apply as for plurals. With -st the word usually stays as it is: groot, grootst. There are also two small rules for words ending in r or s.
| Rule | Plain | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long vowel: one letter less before -er | groot | groter | grootst |
| Long vowel: one letter less before -er | goedkoop | goedkoper | goedkoopst |
| Short vowel: double consonant before -er | dik | dikker | dikst |
| Short vowel: double consonant before -er | nat | natter | natst |
| Ends in r: -der | duur | duurder | duurst |
| Ends in r: -der | lekker | lekkerder | lekkerst |
| s becomes z before -er, f becomes v | boos | bozer | boost |
| s becomes z before -er, f becomes v | braaf | braver | braafst |
Does the word already end in s? Then the superlative only adds -t: boos (angry), boost. Vies (dirty), viest. You never write -sst.
Four irregular words
A few very common words do not follow the rules. You hear them every day, so learn them by heart.
| Plain | Comparative | Superlative | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| goed | beter | best | good, better, best |
| veel | meer | meest | much or many, more, most |
| weinig | minder | minst | little or few, less, least |
| graag | liever | liefst | like to, prefer, like most |
Graag, liever, liefst
- Ik drink graag thee.I like drinking tea.
- Ik drink liever koffie.I prefer coffee.
- Ik drink het liefst water.Most of all I like drinking water.
The superlative in a sentence
Before a noun, the superlative takes de or het and an extra -e: de mooiste dag (the most beautiful day). After a verb like is, you use het and no -e. Deze auto is het snelst (This car is the fastest).
| Where? | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Before a noun | de or het + -ste | Dit is de mooiste dag van het jaar. |
| After a verb | het + -st | In januari is het het koudst. |