Adjectives: The Comparative — Dutch Grammar

To compare two things, Dutch adds -er to the adjective. becomes , becomes , becomes . There is no separate word for more in front of the adjective the way English uses one for longer words: where English says more friendly, Dutch simply says .

Deze kamer is warmer.
This room is warmer.
Zij is vriendelijker dan haar broer.
She is friendlier than her brother.
Mijn auto is zuiniger.
My car is more economical.

Spelling When -er Is Added

Adding the ending can change how the stem is written, because Dutch spelling keeps a syllable's vowel length visible. An adjective written with a double vowel in a closed syllable drops one of them once the ending opens the syllable: becomes . A short vowel works the other way and doubles the final consonant to stay short.

Ik wil een groter appartement.
I want a bigger apartment.
Dit huis is kleiner dan dat huis.
This house is smaller than that house.

Adjectives already ending in -r would be unpronounceable with another -r stacked on, so they take -der instead.

Deze fiets is duurder.
This bicycle is more expensive.
Het is lekkerder met suiker.
It tastes better with sugar.

Four Irregular Comparatives

Four everyday adjectives do not use the ending at all, and they are the ones you will need first.

- good - becomes
- much, many - becomes
- little, few - becomes
- gladly - becomes

Ik hoop dat je je snel beter voelt.
I hope you feel better soon.
Het weer is vandaag slechter.
The weather is worse today.

Saying What You Compare With

The second half of a comparison is introduced by . It corresponds exactly to English than, and it comes straight after the comparative.

Niemand is goedkoper dan wij.
Nobody is cheaper than we are.
Hij loopt langer dan een uur.
He walks for longer than an hour.

Before a Noun

A comparative used in front of a noun behaves like any other adjective there and takes the ending -e on top of the -er. That is why the comparative appears with two endings when it describes a following noun, and with one when it stands after the verb.

Ik heb drie jongere broers.
I have three younger brothers.
Ik heb twee oudere zussen.
I have two older sisters.

Comparing Actions

The same form does duty as an adverb, comparing how something is done rather than what something is like. Dutch does not distinguish the two the way English separates hard from harder in one case and well from better in the other.

Harder praten, alsjeblieft!
Speak louder, please!
Het is hier rustiger.
It is quieter here.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Dutch course

20 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 77. A few of them, with the words “Adjectives: The Comparative” is about in bold:

Ik heb twee jongere zussen en twee oudere zussen.
I have two younger sisters and two older sisters.
Lesson 138
Ik wou dat je zuiniger was.
I wish you were more frugal.
Lesson 328
Bij nader inzien is dat een slecht idee.
On second thought, that is a bad idea.
Lesson 338

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