dan or als in comparisons; even ... als and hoe ... hoe

When you compare two things in Dutch, the little word joining them is either dan or als, and they are not interchangeable. Dan follows a comparative when the two things are unequal: Amsterdam is groter dan Utrecht. (Amsterdam is bigger than Utrecht.) Als joins two things that are equal: Hij is even oud als ik. (He is as old as I am.)

Use dan after a comparative (a word ending in -er or one of the irregular forms like beter, meer, minder); use als in an equality pattern built with even, net zo, or zo.

1. Unequal, one has more of the quality → comparative + dan: Zij loopt sneller dan haar broer. (She walks faster than her brother.) Dit is beter dan niets. (This is better than nothing.)
2. Equal, the two match → even / net zo / zo + adjective + als: Deze tas is even duur als die. (This bag is as expensive as that one.) Ze is net zo lang als ik. (She is just as tall as I am.)
3. A multiple of something also uses als, because it is built with zo: Brazilië is veel groter dan Nederland but Suriname is ongeveer vier keer zo groot als Nederland. (Suriname is about four times as big as the Netherlands.)

Dan is also the word after anders (different) and ander(e): Dit smaakt anders dan gisteren. (This tastes different from yesterday.) Ik heb geen andere schoenen dan deze. (I have no shoes other than these.)

To say that one thing rises or falls as another does ("the more ..., the more ..."), Dutch uses hoe before each comparative. In the short fixed version there is no verb: Hoe eerder, hoe beter. (The sooner, the better.)

• With full clauses, both halves start with hoe + comparative, and the verb of the second half goes to the end: Hoe langer ik wacht, hoe zenuwachtiger ik word. (The longer I wait, the more nervous I get.)
• des te is a more formal alternative for the second half. After des te both word orders are correct — verb at the end, as in the hoe half, or verb in second place: Hoe meer je oefent, des te sneller je vooruitgaat or des te sneller ga je vooruit. (The more you practise, the faster you make progress.) Verb-final is the more usual choice in both halves.

In speech many Dutch people say groter als, but in standard written Dutch a comparative always takes dan: write groter dan, beter dan, meer dan, never groter als. The reverse trap is using dan in an equality phrase: it is even groot als and net zo groot als, never even groot dan. A quick decision guide is on the dan or als quick page.