Dutch comparatives and superlatives: groter, grootst, beter, best

Bigger, faster, the best, the most beautiful. Comparing things is something you do every day, whether you're choosing a flat, a train or a cake. Dutch comparatives and superlatives work much like English "-er" and "-est", but they're even more regular: almost every adjective takes an ending, however long it is. You just need to watch the spelling and learn a handful of irregular forms.

The basic pattern: -er and -st

Add -er for the comparative and -st for the superlative:

• Mijn broer is ouder dan ik. — My brother is older than me.
• De trein is sneller dan de bus. — The train is faster than the bus.

Unlike English, Dutch also uses -er for long adjectives: interessanter (more interesting), ingewikkelder (more complicated), comfortabeler (more comfortable).

-der after r

If the adjective ends in -r, the comparative ending is -der, not -er:

• duur → duurder — more expensive
• zwaar → zwaarder — heavier
• ver → verder — further
• lekker → lekkerder — tastier
• donker → donkerder — darker

The superlative is normal: duurst, zwaarst, verst, lekkerst.

Spelling changes

The comparative adds a syllable, so the usual Dutch spelling rules apply. (If they're new to you, see the pronunciation guide.)

Long vowels lose a letter because the syllable is now open:

• groot → groter, laag → lager, hoog → hoger, breed → breder

Short vowels double the consonant to stay short:

• dik → dikker, dun → dunner, wit → witter, snel → sneller

f becomes v and s becomes z in many words:

• lief → liever (sweeter, nicer), boos → bozer (angrier), vies → viezer (dirtier)

The superlative is built on the basic adjective, so these changes don't apply there: grootst, dikst, liefst, viest. Adjectives ending in -s just add -t: vies → viest, fris → frist.

Irregular forms

A few very common words are irregular, just as in English:

Graag is special: it has no English equivalent, but its forms are how Dutch says "prefer" and "like best":

• Ik drink graag koffie. — I like drinking coffee.
• Ik drink liever thee. — I prefer to drink tea.
• Ik drink het liefst water. — I like drinking water best.

Note that liever is both the comparative of graag and of lief (sweet, kind): Mijn kat is liever dan jouw kat. — My cat is sweeter than your cat. The superlative liefst is shared too.

Before a noun: the -e ending

Comparatives and superlatives before a noun follow the normal adjective endings:

• een grotere auto — a bigger car
• een groter huis — a bigger house (een + het word: no -e)
• de grootste stad — the biggest city
• het grootste huis — the biggest house

Superlatives before a noun always end in -e, because they always come after de, het or a word like mijn: mijn beste vriend.

Dan, als and even … als

To compare two things that are different, use the comparative + dan:

• Utrecht is kleiner dan Amsterdam. — Utrecht is smaller than Amsterdam.
• Ze is langer dan ik. — She is taller than me.

You will hear groter als in speech, but in standard Dutch it's considered a mistake. After dan, the subject form ik is standard; dan mij is common in casual speech.

To say two things are the same, use even … als, net zo … als or zo … als:

• Ik ben even oud als jij. — I'm as old as you.
• Hij is net zo groot als zijn vader. — He's just as tall as his father.
• Het is niet zo koud als gisteren. — It's not as cold as yesterday.

Two more useful patterns:

• Het wordt steeds kouder. — It's getting colder and colder.
• Hoe eerder, hoe beter. — The sooner, the better.

Het mooist or de mooiste?

After the verb (zijn, vinden, worden), you'll see two kinds of superlative.

De/het* + superlative + *-e points to a noun, even if the noun is left out:

• Deze jurk is de mooiste. — This dress is the most beautiful (dress).
• Dit huis is het grootste van de straat. — This house is the biggest (house) in the street.

Het* + superlative without *-e is used when there is no noun in mind, for example when you compare the same thing in different situations, and with verbs:

• Amsterdam is het mooist in de lente. — Amsterdam is most beautiful in spring.
• Ik vind deze jurk het mooist. — I like this dress best.
• Wie loopt het snelst? — Who runs fastest?

When you're comparing items, both are often possible: Deze jurk is de mooiste and Deze jurk is het mooist are both fine. But with an adverb or a single thing in different situations, only het … -st works.

Meer and meest with long adjectives

For comparatives, Dutch almost always uses -er, even with long words: interessanter, ingewikkelder. Meer interessant exists but is less common.

For superlatives of long adjectives, both forms are used:

• het interessantste boek / het meest interessante boek — the most interesting book
• de bijzonderste plek / de meest bijzondere plek — the most special place

Both are correct, and which one is more common depends on the adjective; meest is often easier to pronounce with long words. With most past participles used as adjectives, you need meest:

• het meest gelezen boek — the most read book
• de meest gestelde vragen — the most frequently asked questions

Quick summary

• Comparative -er, superlative -st: klein, kleiner, kleinst.
• After -r, the comparative is -der: duurder, lekkerder.
• Spelling: groot → groter, dik → dikker, lief → liever, boos → bozer.
• Irregular: goed, beter, best; veel, meer, meest; weinig, minder, minst; graag, liever, liefst.
• Different: comparative + dan. Same: even/net zo … als.
• De mooiste points to a noun; het mooist doesn't.
• Superlatives of long adjectives: interessantst or meest interessant; participles usually need meest.

Practise it

Compare people's looks in Appearance, describe personalities with aardiger and liever in Character, and share your preferences in Giving opinions.