Dutch comparisons: dan (than), als (as) and paired changes

Deze tafel is groter dan die. (This table is bigger than that one.) A comparative such as groter (bigger) takes dan (than), while even ... als (as ... as) and (net) zo ... als (just as ... as) use als (as).

Deze tafel is groter dan die. (This table is bigger than that one.) Deze tafel is even groot als die. (This table is as big as that one.) The cue before the comparison decides whether to use dan or als.

Look at the comparison words before the gap. Use dan after a comparative or ander(s) (other/different), and use als after even (equally), (net) zo (just as), hetzelfde, dezelfde or eenzelfde (the same).

1. Find the cue before the missing word. A comparative may end in -er, as in groter (bigger), or be irregular, as in beter (better), meer (more) and minder (less).
2. Choose dan after that comparative and after ander, andere, anderen or anders: Dit plan is beter dan het vorige. (This plan is better than the previous one.)
3. Choose als after even, (net) zo, hetzelfde, dezelfde or eenzelfde: Wij kiezen dezelfde route als vorig jaar. (We are choosing the same route as last year.)

Groter dan (bigger than) is the standard written form.

Groter als (bigger than) has a long history and is common in speech and informal writing. Edited Dutch uses dan after a comparative.

The reverse error is even groot dan (as big as). The cues even and (net) zo take als, so write even groot als (as big as) and net zo groot als (just as big as).

Suriname is vier keer zo groot als Nederland. (Suriname is four times as big as the Netherlands.) The meaning is unequal, but zo decides whether to use dan or als. The pattern zo ... als takes als.

• Numbers do not decide whether to use dan or als. Vier keer zo zwaar als (four times as heavy as) follows zo ... als, while vijf kilo zwaarder dan (five kilos heavier than) follows the comparative zwaarder.
• Negation does not decide whether to use dan or als. Use niet zo groot als (not as big as) but nauwelijks groter dan (hardly bigger than).

Use vier keer zo veel als (four times as much as) when you mean exactly four times the amount. Vier keer meer dan (four times more than) can mean four times the total or four extra amounts, which gives five times the total.

Noor is ouder dan ik. (Noor is older than I am.) The hidden full clause is dan ik ben (than I am). That makes ik the subject, so standard written Dutch uses the subject form ik.

Use an object form when the pronoun is the object in the hidden clause: Ik nodig Sam liever uit dan jou. (I would rather invite Sam than you.) The full comparison means dan dat ik jou uitnodig (than that I invite you), so jou is the object.

The same test applies after als. Zij is even snel als hij. (She is as fast as he is.) compares two subjects, while Ik vind haar even snel als hem. (I consider her as fast as him.) compares two objects.

Hoe langer ik wacht, hoe zenuwachtiger ik word. (The longer I wait, the more nervous I get.) Put hoe (the, in this pattern) before the comparative in both halves. The first hoe clause uses verb-final order. In a longer sentence, the more formal des te (the, in this pattern) can replace the second hoe.

Short versions can omit both verbs: Hoe eerder, hoe beter. (The sooner, the better.)

Inversion also occurs after the second hoe: Hoe langer ik wacht, hoe zenuwachtiger word ik. (The longer I wait, the more nervous I get.) Judgments about this order differ, so use the usual verb-final pattern in your own writing: hoe zenuwachtiger ik word.

Use the quick comparison page for the short A2 decision rule. This B1 page adds negative comparisons, multipliers, pronoun forms and hoe ... hoe word order. Review comparative and superlative adjectives to form groter, beter and related forms.