---
title: "Iets leuks, niets nieuws: the extra -s"
level: B1
chapter: "Adjectives and adverbs"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/iets-leuks
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Iets leuks, niets nieuws: the extra -s

After _iets_, _niets_, _veel_, _weinig_, _wat_ and _genoeg_, an adjective (a describing word like _leuk_ or _nieuw_) gets an extra _-s_: _iets leuks_ (something nice), _niets nieuws_ (nothing new), _veel moois_ (lots of beautiful things). If the adjective already ends in _-s_, nothing is added: _iets vies_ (something dirty). English has no ending like this, which is exactly why it slips away so easily.

## The pattern

> After _iets_, _niets_, _veel_, _weinig_, _wat_ and _genoeg_, an adjective with no noun after it takes _-s_, unless it already ends in _-s_.

- Add only _-s_. The spelling of the adjective does not change: _groot_ gives _iets groots_, _lief_ gives _iets liefs_, _bijzonder_ gives _niets bijzonders_.
- Adjectives that already end in _-s_ or _-sch_ add nothing: _iets fris_, _iets Nederlands_, _iets praktisch_.
- _Genoeg_ triggers the _-s_ only when it comes before the adjective: _genoeg leuks_ (plenty of fun things), but _groot genoeg_ (big enough).
- Comparatives (the _-er_ forms, like bigger) take _-s_ too: _iets beters_, _niets mooiers_. See [Comparatives: groter, mooier, duurder](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/comparatives).
- Informal _niks_ works like _niets_ (_niks bijzonders_), and so does _allerlei_ (all kinds of): _allerlei lekkers_.
- A word like _heel_ or _echt_ before the adjective stays unchanged: _iets heel leuks_.
- With a noun after it, there is no _-s_ and the normal adjective-ending rules apply: _veel mooie foto's_, but _veel lekker eten_ (_eten_ is a het-word). See [Adjective endings: when to add -e](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/adjective-endings).

## Examples

| Ik heb **iets leuks** voor je verjaardag gekocht. | I bought something nice for your birthday. |
| Is er **iets nieuws** op je werk? | Is there anything new at work? |
| Het was een rustige dag: er is **niets bijzonders** gebeurd. | It was a quiet day: nothing special happened. |
| In Maastricht is **veel moois** te zien. | There is a lot of beautiful stuff to see in Maastricht. |
| Ik ga vroeg slapen, omdat er **weinig interessants** op tv is. | I'm going to bed early because there isn't much of interest on TV. |
| Sanne neemt op vrijdag **wat lekkers** mee naar kantoor. | On Fridays, Sanne brings something tasty to the office. |
| Voor kinderen is er in Rotterdam **genoeg leuks** te doen. | There are plenty of fun things for children to do in Rotterdam. |
| Gelukkig vond de huisarts **niets ernstigs**. | Luckily, the GP found nothing serious. |
| Bah, Daan heeft in **iets vies** getrapt. | Yuck, Daan stepped in something disgusting. |
| Fatima zoekt **iets praktisch** voor haar nieuwe keuken. | Fatima is looking for something practical for her new kitchen. |

## Why it works this way

Think of the _-s_ as a label that turns the adjective into stuff. _Iets leuks_ is "something of the nice kind", and _veel moois_ is "a lot of beautiful stuff". The traditional name is the partitive genitive (a form meaning "part of"): the _-s_ is a leftover of the old genitive ending, which meant roughly "of". You already know one word built this way: _iets anders_ (something else) is _ander_ plus _-s_. More in [Ander, andere and anders](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/ander-anders).

This also tells you when the _-s_ stays away. _Iets_, _wat_ and _veel_ can also say how much of a quality something has: a bit, much. Then the adjective simply describes something; it is not stuff, so there is no _-s_.

- _Heeft u iets groters?_ (Do you have something bigger?) versus _Deze jas is iets groter._ (This coat is a bit bigger.)
- _Wil je wat lekkers?_ (Would you like something tasty?) versus _De soep is wat zout._ (The soup is a bit salty.)
- _Er is hier veel moois._ (There is a lot of beautiful stuff here.) versus _Het is hier veel mooier._ (It is much nicer here.)

English speakers say "something nice" and write _iets leuk_. German speakers, used to "etwas Neues", may write _iets nieuwe_. Dutch wants neither: just _-s_.

Remember: if the adjective is the thing, add _-s_ (_iets groters_). If it says how something is, leave it bare (_iets groter_).

## Watch out

- Not: _Ik heb iets leuk voor je gekocht._ Say: _Ik heb iets leuks voor je gekocht._ (after _iets_, the adjective needs _-s_)
- Not: _Ik heb niets nieuwe gehoord._ Say: _Ik heb niets nieuws gehoord._ (the ending is _-s_, not _-e_)
- Not: _Het weekend was niets bijzonder._ Say: _Het weekend was niets bijzonders._ (nothing special also needs _-s_)
- Not: _Mijn nieuwe huis is iets kleiners dan het oude._ Say: _Mijn nieuwe huis is iets kleiner dan het oude._ (here _iets_ means a bit, so no _-s_)

## Quick check

1. Fill in the right form of _lekker_: _Lotte heeft voor de nieuwe buren iets ... gebakken._
2. Choose: _Deze fiets is iets (duurder / duurders) dan die van Joris._
3. Fill in the right form of _Nederlands_: _Mei wil iets ... meenemen voor haar familie in China._
4. Fix the sentence by changing only the adjective: _Volgens Ahmed gebeurt er in zijn dorp weinig spannende._

## Answers

1. _lekkers_: after _iets_, the adjective takes _-s_.
2. _duurder_: _iets_ means a bit here, and the sentence compares with _dan_.
3. _Nederlands_: it already ends in _-s_, so nothing is added.
4. _Volgens Ahmed gebeurt er in zijn dorp weinig spannends._: after _weinig_, an adjective without a noun takes _-s_, not _-e_.

## Use it today

On Monday, when a colleague asks _Hoe was je weekend?_, answer with this pattern: _Niets bijzonders_, or better, _Ik heb iets leuks gedaan_, followed by what you did. Then write one sentence about your town with _veel moois_ or _genoeg leuks te doen_.

## Questions learners ask

**Why do you say iets leuks and not iets leuk in Dutch?**

After iets, niets, veel, weinig, wat and genoeg, an adjective used without a noun gets an extra -s. So you say iets leuks (something nice) and niets nieuws (nothing new); iets leuk is incorrect.

**When does an adjective not get an -s after iets?**

When iets means "a bit", as in iets groter (a bit bigger), there is no -s. Adjectives that already end in -s or -sch, such as vies, fris and praktisch, also add nothing: iets vies.

**How do you say "nothing special" in Dutch?**

You say niets bijzonders, or informally niks bijzonders. The adjective bijzonder gets an -s because it follows niets.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.