The pattern
The comparative (the "more" form) and the superlative (the "most" form) of goed, veel, weinig and graag are irregular, so you learn them as fixed words.
- goed, beter, best: good or well, better, best
- veel, meer, meest: much or many, more, most
- weinig, minder, minst: little or few, less or fewer, least or fewest
- graag, liever, liefst: like to, prefer to, like most of all
- Before a noun, the superlative gets -e, usually with de or het: de beste fiets, het meeste werk, de minste moeite. This works as in the lesson on superlatives.
- When you say how someone does something, use het: Daan kookt het best. Het beste is also correct here.
- When they mean more and less, meer and minder get no -e before a noun: meer brood, minder mensen.
- graag, liever and het liefst usually go with a verb: Ik fiets graag (I like cycling). There is more on liking things.
Examples
| Sanne kookt goed, maar Daan kookt nog beter. | Sanne cooks well, but Daan cooks even better. |
| Van alle collega's kookt Fatima het best. | Of all the colleagues, Fatima cooks best. |
| Yara heeft de beste cijfers van de klas. | Yara has the best marks in the class. |
| Ahmed werkt veel, maar Bas werkt nog meer. | Ahmed works a lot, but Bas works even more. |
| De meeste treinen rijden vandaag op tijd. | Most trains are running on time today. |
| Emma heeft weinig tijd, maar Carlos heeft nog minder. | Emma has little time, but Carlos has even less. |
| Van ons drieën heeft Priya het minst betaald. | Of the three of us, Priya paid the least. |
| Mei fietst graag naar haar werk. | Mei likes cycling to work. |
| Joris neemt liever de trein dan de bus. | Joris prefers the train to the bus. |
| Op mijn verjaardag eet ik het liefst pannenkoeken. | On my birthday, pancakes are what I like eating most. |
Why it works this way
The words people use most tend to keep old, irregular forms: they are repeated so often that nobody smooths them out. English and Dutch are close relatives and kept the same irregulars: good, better, best; much, more, most; little, less, least.
The odd one out is graag. Its comparative and superlative come from lief (dear, sweet): what you like better is literally dearer to you. If you speak German, it works like gern, lieber, am liebsten.
Compare:
- Ik eet graag vis. I like eating fish.
- Ik eet liever vis. I would rather eat fish.
- Ik eet het liefst vis. Fish is my favourite thing to eat.
- Daan is de beste. Daan is the best one.
- Daan kookt het best. Daan cooks best.
One more thing: best on its own often means quite or fine. Het is best koud means it is quite cold, not the coldest. More in the lesson on intensifiers.
Remember: three sets copy English, and only graag needs new forms. Think of liever as dearer: Ik drink liever thee simply means tea is dearer to you.
Watch out
NotDeze fiets is goeder dan mijn oude fiets.
SayDeze fiets is beter dan mijn oude fiets.
goed has no -er form
NotIk drink graager thee.
SayIk drink liever thee.
the comparative of graag is liever
NotMeeste mensen hier hebben een fiets.
SayDe meeste mensen hier hebben een fiets.
English says most people, Dutch needs de
NotDit is het best restaurant van Utrecht.
SayDit is het beste restaurant van Utrecht.
before a noun, the superlative gets -e
Quick check
- Fill in a form of goed: Het weer is vandaag ... dan gisteren.
- Fill in a form of graag: Ik neem ... de trein dan de auto.
- Fill in a form of weinig: Op zondag rijden er ... treinen dan op maandag.
- Fill in the superlative of veel: ... collega's komen met de fiets naar kantoor.
Show the answers
- beter (goed has no -er form, and dan needs a comparative)
- liever (the comparative of graag)
- minder (the comparative of weinig, for both less and fewer)
- De meeste (before a plural noun, the superlative needs de and -e)
Use it today
Next time a colleague offers you coffee, answer with Nee, dank je, ik drink liever thee (or the other way round). Then tell them your favourite: Ik drink het liefst warme chocolademelk.