---
title: "Meer and meest instead of -er and -st"
level: B1
chapter: "Adjectives and adverbs"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/meer-meest
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Meer and meest instead of -er and -st

Most Dutch adjectives build their comparative (the "more" form) and superlative (the "most" form) with endings, even long ones: _sneller_, _snelst_, _interessanter_. You use the separate words _meer_ (more) and _meest_ (most) mainly with past participles used as adjectives (_het meest gelezen boek_) and when you compare two qualities of one person or thing (_meer bang dan boos_); some longer adjectives also allow _meest_, often for emphasis. When in doubt, the endings are the safe choice.

## The pattern

> Ordinary adjectives normally take -er and -st. Past participles used as adjectives usually take _meer_ and _meest_, and you also use _meer_ to compare two qualities of the same person or thing.

- Ordinary adjectives, including most long ones: _duur, duurder, het duurst_ and _moeilijk, moeilijker, het moeilijkst_.
- Past participles, the verb form in _ik heb gelezen_: _nog meer verrast_, _het meest gelezen boek_.
- Some words that look like participles now behave as ordinary adjectives and take the endings: _bekender_, _beroemdste_, _ingewikkelder_.
- Some longer adjectives allow both forms in the superlative: _de interessantste_ or _de meest interessante lezing_, _de geschiktste_ or _de meest geschikte kandidaat_. In the comparative, -er is the usual choice.
- Two qualities, one person: _Joris is meer bang dan boos._ You will also hear _eerder bang dan boos_, with the same meaning.
- The adjective after _meer_ or _meest_ follows the usual -e rules, and _meest_ itself stays _meest_: _de meest gestelde vraag_.

For the endings themselves, see [Comparatives](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/comparatives) and [Superlatives](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/superlatives). For participles before a noun, see [Past participles as adjectives](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/participle-as-adjective).

## Examples

| Dat is **het meest gelezen** boek van dit jaar. | That is the most widely read book of the year. |
| Ik ben **nog meer verrast** dan jij, want ik wist er niets van. | I am even more surprised than you, because I knew nothing about it. |
| Wat is **de meest gestelde** vraag aan de balie van de gemeente? | What is the most frequently asked question at the municipality's front desk? |
| Van alle collega's was Bas **het meest verbaasd** over het nieuws. | Of all the colleagues, Bas was the most surprised by the news. |
| Na de vakantie voelt Daan zich **veel meer ontspannen**. | After the holiday Daan feels much more relaxed. |
| Volgens het team is Priya **de meest geschikte** kandidaat. | According to the team, Priya is the most suitable candidate. |
| De lezing van Mei was **interessanter** dan ik had verwacht. | Mei's talk was more interesting than I had expected. |
| Lotte zegt weinig op verjaardagen, maar ze is **meer verlegen dan onvriendelijk**. | Lotte says little at birthday parties, but she is shy rather than unfriendly. |
| Ahmed was **meer verdrietig dan boos** toen zijn fiets gestolen was. | Ahmed was more sad than angry when his bike was stolen. |

## Why it works this way

Think of -er and -st as endings you glue onto a plain quality word such as _druk_, _duur_ or _leuk_. A past participle is different: it still feels like part of a verb, the result of something that happened. Dutch tends to leave that verb form alone and puts the degree in a separate word in front, just as it does with the verb itself: _Dit boek wordt het meest gelezen_ (This book is read the most).

The _meer ... dan_ pattern is logical too. In _Lotte is meer verlegen dan onvriendelijk_ you are not comparing Lotte with someone else. You are choosing which word fits her better, so _meer_ means something like "rather". Standard Dutch does not use the -er ending for that job.

Your first language can trick you here. English says "more difficult" and "more interesting", and Spanish uses "más" with almost every adjective, but Dutch normally says _moeilijker_ and _interessanter_. German speakers face the opposite trap: German often puts the ending on a participle ("überraschter"), while Dutch normally says _meer verrast_.

Speakers also choose _meest_ for emphasis, because a separate word can carry stress: _het meest absurde plan_ can sound stronger than _het absurdste plan_. Both are correct. You hear this mostly with longer adjectives. With short everyday ones like _snel_ or _duur_, the ending is the normal choice: _de snelste route_.

Remember: if you can picture an action behind the word (someone read the book, something surprised you), reach for _meer_ or _meest_. If it is simply a quality, like _druk_, _duur_ or _moeilijk_, use the endings, unless you are weighing two qualities against each other.

## Watch out

- Not: _Deze cursus is meer moeilijk dan de vorige._ Say: _Deze cursus is moeilijker dan de vorige._ (_moeilijk_ is an ordinary adjective, so it takes -er)
- Not: _De trein is meer sneller dan de bus._ Say: _De trein is sneller dan de bus._ (use -er or _meer_, not both)
- Not: _Het is het gelezenste boek van dit jaar._ Say: _Het is het meest gelezen boek van dit jaar._ (_gelezen_ is a past participle, so it takes _meest_, not -ste)
- Not: _Dat is de meeste gestelde vraag._ Say: _Dat is de meest gestelde vraag._ (_meest_ gets no -e before an adjective)
- Not: _Joris is banger dan boos._ Say: _Joris is meer bang dan boos._ (two qualities of one person: use _meer_, not -er)

## Quick check

1. Choose: _Dat is het (gelezenste / meest gelezen) boek van onze leesclub._
2. Fix the sentence: _Mijn nieuwe baan is meer leuk dan mijn oude._
3. Fill in the Dutch word for "more": _Yara was ... verrast dan haar broer, want zij wist van niets._
4. Choose: _Na het gesprek met de verhuurder is Fatima (bozer / meer boos) dan verdrietig._

## Answers

1. _meest gelezen_: _gelezen_ is a past participle.
2. _Mijn nieuwe baan is leuker dan mijn oude._ _Leuk_ is an ordinary adjective, so it takes -er.
3. _meer_: _verrast_ is a past participle, so the degree goes in front.
4. _meer boos_: you compare two feelings of the same person.

## Use it today

Tonight, describe your day in three Dutch sentences: one with _het meest_ plus a participle (_Ik was het meest verrast door ..._), one weighing two of your own feelings (_Ik ben meer ... dan ..._), and one with an ordinary adjective plus -er. Say them out loud to a partner, a colleague or your cat.

## Questions learners ask

**Is it interessanter or meer interessant in Dutch?**

Interessanter is the normal comparative in Dutch, so it is the safe choice. In the superlative, both de interessantste and de meest interessante are correct and common.

**When do you use meest instead of -st in Dutch?**

Use meest mainly with past participles used as adjectives, as in het meest gelezen boek or de meest gestelde vraag. Some longer adjectives, such as geschikt and interessant, allow both forms, and speakers sometimes pick meest for emphasis, but ordinary adjectives normally take -st.

**Why do Dutch speakers say meer bang dan boos and not banger dan boos?**

When you compare two qualities of the same person or thing, standard Dutch uses meer ... dan, meaning roughly "rather ... than", so meer bang dan boos means scared rather than angry. Eerder bang dan boos means the same and is also very common.

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