More and Less etc.

meer 2

meest

'weinig' 2 3 4

minder

minst

Te veel mensen met te veel geld 2	Too many people with too much money
Minder werk voor minder mensen 2	Less work for fewer people

'Veel' 2 3 can be an adverb or a noun, but it is usually an adjective.
English often says 'a lot of' instead of 'much' or 'many'
The adjectives' common -E ending (vele - veel/vele ) is rarely used - only with some 'time' words in a special context

vele dagen	many days
Nog vele jaren!	[Still many years] - Birthday Wish - Many happy returns!

Veel mensen spreken Engels	Many people speak English
Veel mensen denken dat ...	Many people think that ...
Veel mensen denken zo	Many people think that way
Veel mensen zeggen dat ...	Many people say that ...
Veel mensen zeggen dat.	Many people say that.
Er zijn veel mensen ziek 2	Many people are sick (ill)
Er waren veel klachten	There were many complaints
Er waren veel vlaggen 2	There were many flags
veel plezier! 2	['much enjoyment'] - have fun!
veel succes ermee!	['(wishing you) much succes with it'] - good luck (with it)!
We hebben veel regen 2	We're having a lot of rain
Er was veel geld	There was much money
Er is nog veel papier 2	There is still a lot of paper
Er is nog veel werk 2	There is still a lot of work (to do) / there are still many jobs
Er is nog veel te doen 2	There is still much to do, it still needs much work
Er werd veel gesproken over vrijheid	Much was said about freedom, there was much talk about freedom
Er zou veel schade zijn	It was said there was much damage
met veel gemak	['with much ease'] - easily, without difficulty
met veel gezag 2	'with much authority'
Ik heb 't met veel plezier gelezen 2	'I read it with [much] great pleasure' - I really enjoyed reading it
zonder veel gevaar	'without much danger' - safely, without great risk
Veel gedoe om niks	Much ado about nothing
We hebben veel ijs nodig	We need a lot of ice
Hoge bomen vangen veel wind	(expression) 'High trees catch much wind' - public and important people get much criticism - Sayings
Ik heb veel last van m'n maag	I'm much troubled by my stomach, my stomach is bothering me a lot - Medical
Er gaat veel geld om 2	There's a lot of money [going 'round] in it
Ik besteed veel tijd aan m'n website 2 3	I'm spending a lot of time (working) on my website
Ik heb jullie veel woorden gegeven 2	I have given you guys many words
Veel groeten!	'many greetings!' (at the end of a letter)
Heb je veel cadeautjes gekregen?	Did you get many presents?
Hier zijn veel schepen vergaan 2	Many ships were wrecked here
t Heeft veel voeten in aarde 2 3 4	(saying) 'It has many feet in the soil'] - 'It's a very complicated process' (the image is removing a tree with many roots)
Hij heeft veel prijzen gekregen	He has [received] been given many awards
Ik wens jullie veel gelukkige jaren samen	I wish you guys many happy years [together] with each other
Weet ik veel!	['Know I much!'] - I don't know and I don't care
Veel fietsen	[Much] Do a lot of bicycling - a resolution
Hij sprak veel	He spoke much, he talked a lot
Hij hoort veel	'He hears a lot' - he has excellent hearing, but usually it means 'he is well informed'
Hij weet veel van bijen 2	He knows much bees, he's an expert on bees
't Is niet iets waar ik veel van weet 2 3 4	It's not something I know [much] a lot about
Er is sinds die tijd veel veranderd 2 3	Much has changed since that time
Er is ondertussen veel veranderd 2 3	Much has changed in the meantime
Ze gaan veel met elkaar om 2 3 4	They're spending much time together, they're seeing a lot of each other
Hoewel de proef mislukte hebben we toch veel geleerd	Although the experiment failed we still learned a lot
Dat had ik veel eerder moeten doen	I should have done that much earlier, long ago
't Is veel moeilijker dan ik dacht 2 3	It's much more difficult than I thought
Er staat veel op het spel	There is much [at play] at stake
Hij deed veel om de stad mooi te maken 2	He did much to beautify the town
Velen met mij	['Many with me'] - Many people agree with me on this

Dutch te is occasionally used with the verb infinitive, like English 'to' Ik probeer Nederlands te leren I'm trying to learn Dutch but usually Dutch te is like English 'too' - excess like in 'too much' or 'too little' etc.
'Te veel' 2 3 is 'too much' or 'too many.' Written as one word, (het) teveel is a noun, 'too much of something, an overload, an overabundance'

veel te duur 2	much too expensive, way too expensive
veel te veel 2	[much too ...] way too much, way too many
te veel gedoe	too much hassle
Dat is te veel gedoe 2	That's too much hassle
Dat is te veel werk 2	That's too much work
Hij praat te veel 2	He talks too much
Het was te veel	It was too much
Ik heb te veel gegeten	I have eaten too much
Ik had te veel gegeten	I had eaten too much
Heb je te veel gegeten? 2	Have you eaten too much?
te veel van 't goede 2	too much of [the] a good thing
Hij heeft te veel pech 2	He has too much bad luck, too many accidents (he is accident-prone)
Er is te veel achtergrondgeluid	There is too much background noise
Dat is veel te lastig! 2 3 4	That is much too inconvenient, that is way too much trouble
Een teveel aan informatie 2	an overload of information - too much information

'Zoveel' 2 3 4 (the stress can be either on 'veel' or on both 'zo' and 'veel') is 'so much' or 'so many.' It can be both an adjective or adverb and a noun ('so much, so many things')

Zoveel dingen om aan te denken 2	So many things to think about, so many things to keep in mind
Er is nog zoveel te doen 2 3	There is still so much to do
Ik heb al zoveel	I already have so much (so many things, so much stuff)
Er gaat altijd zoveel mis 2	There are always so many things going wrong
't Had zoveel mooier kunnen zijn 2 3	[It could have been so much more beautiful] - usually said when something disappoints or doesn't work out
... omdat er zoveel te zien was	... because there was so much to see
Er wordt al zoveel gezegd 2	So much is being said already
Er is al zoveel gezegd 2	So much has been said already ->>

'Hoeveel' is 'how much' or 'how many,' usually in questions. (De) hoeveelheid is 'amount' - with the somewhat irregular plural 'hoeveelheden' 2 ->>

Hoeveel kost dit?	How much does this cost? What's the price?
Hoeveel tijd is er nog? 2 3	How much time is [there still] left?

'Very much' (or 'very many') is erg veel 2 or heel veel 2 3 - in writing I prefer 'erg veel.'
For an even larger 'amount' there is 'heel erg veel' 'really a lot, very very much' (I can't think of a good English equivalent)
Er is erg veel regen 2 There is really a lot of rain

A few compound words with 'veel:'

veelheid	['maniness'] - multitude, variety, abundance
veelzijdig	['many-sided'] - versatile, all-round
veelvlak 2	['many planes'] - polyhedron, 'many surfaces'
veelzeggend 2	['saying much'] - 'telling,' 'revealing'
veelwijverij	['many wives thing'] - polygamy
veelbelovend 2 3 4	['much promising'] - promising
veelkleurige roos 2	many-colored rose

'A lot (of)' can also be said as 'een heleboel' 2 - both as an adjective or adverb or as a noun. It is somewhat childish and not much used in writing. The short 'een boel' 2 'much, a lot' is rather informal.

Ik heb een heleboel vragen 2 3	I have a great many questions
Er is een heleboel mis 2 3	There is a lot wrong
Dat is een boel! 2	That's a lot!
Dat is een boel geld! 2 3 4	That is a lot of money
Je kunt er een boel geld aan besteden 2	You can spend a lot of money on it
Je kunt er een boel geld aan uitgeven	You can spend a lot of money on it
Had ik maar een boel geld!	['If only I had ...'] - I wish I had a lot of money
(de) boel can also mean something like 'the situation, circumstances, affair, matter,' sometimes negativelym 'mess'
Laat de boel de boel	['Leave the lot as it is' ] - Take a break, relax
Saaie boel is het hier 2 3	It's boring here. What a boring place this is. There's nothing going on

More is 'Meer'

'meer'

meest

Meer brieven schrijven	Write more letters
Meer boeken lezen	Read more books
Meer muziek maken	Make more music
Meer bewegen	Excercise more
meer vrijheid 2	more freedom
Ik heb meer tijd nodig 2	I need more time
meer dan drie uur 2 3	more than 3 hours
't Is meer dan duizend dollar 2 3	It's more than a thousand dollars
't Is meer dan een miljoen euro 2	It's more than a million euro
Als je het werk snel doet krijg je meer geld 2 3	When you do the work quickly you'll get more money
Sommige mensen vinden dat ze meer rechten hebben dan anderen 2	Some people think they have more rights than other people
Heb je niet meer voorbeelden? 2	Don't you have more examples?
Is er niet meer geld? 2 3	Is there not more money? Is that all the money there is?
Mag 't iets meer zijn? 2 3	Is it OK if it's a little more? (what the butcher says when he cuts off a much larger piece than you asked for) ->>
Hij weet er meer van 2	He knows more about it
"Het smaakt naar meer" 2	'It tastes like more' - it's so good I'd like more of it
Hij wil altijd meer 2 3	He always wants more (he's never happy, content with what he's got, it's never enough)
Ik had er meer van verwacht 2 3	I had expected more of it, I had expected better results (of it)
't Is veel moeilijker dan ik dacht 2 3	It's much more difficult than I thought

'Meer' can also be 'anymore,' usually in the negative, 'niet meer' 2 3 and the related geen ... meer 2 literally 'not more' and 'no more' - a limited number, but they are mostly used in a time context indicating something stopped, not continuing, translated as 'not anymore' or 'no longer, not any longer' - or something has to stop: 'not again.'

niet meer belangrijk 2	not important anymore, no longer important, 'moot'
Ik kan het niet meer bijhouden 2	I cannot keep up with it anymore
't Is niet leuk meer 2	It's no fun anymore
't Is niet lekker meer 2	It doesn't taste good anymore (spoiled food)
Als ik er niet meer ben ... 2 3	When I'm no longer around, when I'm gone (dead) ...
De minuutwijzer beweegt bijna niet meer slow ->>	The minute hand is barely moving anymore
Er was niet veel tijd meer	['There was no longer much time'] - there was not much time left
Er was opeens geen geld meer 2 3	Suddenly there was no more money - suddenly the money was gone
Ik kan er niet meer tegen 2 3	I can't stand it anymore
Ik wil niet meer 2	I don't want (to go on) anymore
Ik zag 't niet meer zitten	I didn't see a future (depressed)
Nu ik niet meer rij(d) ... 2	Now that I don't drive anymore ...
Doe dat niet meer! 2 3	Don't do that again!
short:  Niet meer doen! 2 3	Don't do that again!
't Zal niet meer gebeuren 2 3 4	It will not happen again (promising better behavior)
Ik ben niet meer zo slim als ik ooit was 2	I'm no longer as clever [as I ever was] as I was in the past, as I used to be
(Misschien was ik nooit zo slim 2 3	Maybe I never was that clever)
Ik kan 't niet meer 2 3	I can't do it anymore, I am no longer able to do it
Ik eet geen witlof meer want het is te duur 2	'I don't eat Belgian endives anymore because [it] they are too expensive'
Maar dan is 't geen verrassing meer! 2	But then it's no longer a surprise! It would spoil the surprise
Ik sta nergens meer van te kijken 2	[Nowhere] Nothing surprises me anymore
Daar kijkt niemand meer van op 2 3	Nobody is surprised, impressed by that anymore

'Nooit' 2 is 'never' - 'nooit meer' 2 is translated either as 'never again' or 'not anymore.'

't Mag nooit meer gebeuren 2 3	[It may never be allowed to happen again] - We cannot allow it to ever happen again - Never again!
Ik kom er nooit meer 2 3 4	I never [come] go there anymore
We eten het nooit meer 2 3	We never [eat] have it anymore

In the next three examples the 'again' of 'nooit meer' could be left out in English, but note that in English the verb is in the future tense while in Dutch it is in the present tense

Ik ga nooit meer weg 2	I'll never [go away] leave again
ik ga nooit meer terug 2 3	I'll never go back again, I'll never return
Ik kom nooit meer terug 2	I'll never come back, I'll never return

(de) meerderheid 2	majority - Dutch Politics - Politics Words
Gij zult de meerderheid in het kwade niet volgen 2 3	['Thou shalt not follow the majority into evil'] - Do not follow the majority when they do wrong (Exodus 23:2)
(het) meervoud 2	plural ->>
meervoudig onverzadigde vetzuren 2	polyunsaturated fatty acids - food

'Meerdere' 2 3 could mean 'more,' but it's usually more in the sense of 'several,' like verschillend / verschillende 2 usually means 'different,' but can also mean 'various, several'
verschillende keren 2 3 4 several times, "at different times"

'Most' is Meest

- Meestal 2

(de) meester

de meest gevreesde terrorist	the most feared terrorist
Wat is het meeste werk? 2 3	What is the most work?
De meeste fietsen hebben twee wielen 2 3 4	Most 'bicycles' have two wheels (Dutch  'fietsen' include tricyles etc.)
De meeste foto's op de website heb ik zelf gemaakt 2 3	I've taken most of the pictures on the website myself
De mens lijdt het meest van het lijden dat-ie vreest	'Man suffers most from the suffering he fears' - a sentiment somewhat similar to President Roosevelt's 'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself' - FDR
hoogstens 2	at most
't Is hoogstens een uur werk 2	It's an hour of work at most
(het) maximum 2	maximum, max (most, top)
maximaal 2	maximal, at most

Weinig - 'Few' and 'Little'

niet veel 2

Er was weinig geld	There was little money
Er lijkt weinig geld te zijn 2	It looks like there is little money
Er is weinig muziek 2	There is not music music
Er is weinig tijd 2 3	There is little time
Er is weinig tijd voor muziek	There is not much time for music
Ze hebben weinig muziek	They don't have much music
Er is elke dag weer te weinig tijd	Every day again, there is too little (not enough) time
Er was weinig animo voor 2 3	There was little enthusiasm for it (to get involved)
Hoe weinig tijd er is voor mezelf 2	How little time there is to myself
Hij heeft weinig kans	He has little chance
het weinige geld	'the little money' - the small amount of money
Hij ziet weinig	He doesn't see much - he's either vision-impaired or not very observant
Ze hebben weinig gemeen	They have little in common
Beter te veel dan te weinig 2 3	Better too much than too little
Hoe weinig we weten 2	How little we know (We don't know much)
zo weinig mogelijk 2 3	as little as possible
't Is niet veel 2 3	It's not much
't Is maar weinig 2 3	It's only a little, it's really not much
't Is nog niet veel 2 3	It's still not much
't Is nog maar weinig 2 3	It's still only a little, it's still not much
Er zijn weinig getuigen	There are few witnesses
Er zijn weinig walvissen over	There are few whales left
Er zijn weinig boeken over	There are not many books about it -or: there are few books left
Ze hebben weinig gereedschap	They have few tools
Een man van weinig woorden	A man of few words (a quiet but not necessarily weak person)
Hij was een van de weinige mensen die ... 2 3	He was one of the few people who ...
Velen worden geroepen, maar weinigen worden uitgekozen	Many are called, but (only a) few are chosen
Hij eet weinig 2	He doesn't eat much
Hij eet niet veel	He doesn't eat much
Hij drinkt weinig 2	He doesn't drink much - may also refer to alcohol intake
Hij drinkt niet veel 2	He doesn't drink much - may also refer to alcohol intake
Er was niet veel sneeuw dit jaar	There was not much snow this year
We hebben niet veel sneeuw dit jaar	We're not having much snow this year
Hij zei niet veel	He didn't say much
Ik heb gisteren niet veel gegeten 2	I didn't eat much yesterday
Ik vond er niet veel aan	[I did not find much in it'] - It didn't appeal to me, I didn't care for it (for instance music, movies)
Niet veel mensen spreken Latijn	Few, not many people speak Latin
heel weinig 2	very little, very few

Of course, 'little' can also mean 'small'

Het kleine broertje	the little brother
een klein beetje 2	a little, a little bit
een heel klein beetje 2	a very small amount, minimally
Ik ben een beetje ziek	I'm a little sick
Mag ik een beetje kaas? 2	[May I] Could I please have a little cheese?
Alle beetjes helpen	'[All little bits help] - Every little bit helps'
Ik ben een beetje een huismus 2	['I have something of a house sparrow'] - 'I don't get out much'
Ik ben een beetje schor, lijkt 't wel (2)	It looks (sounds?) like I'm a little hoarse
't Is een beetje plat 2	It's somewhat substandard Dutch ‑>>
"Lukt 't een beetje?" 2 3	[Are you somewhat succeeding?] - How is it going? (inquiring with doubts about how a job is going)
Maak 't nou een beetje! 2 3 4	[Now make it a little] - Behave yourself! You're going too far
Doe een beetje normaal! 2	Act normally! Behave!

'Less' and 'Fewer' is 'Minder'

Minder werk voor minder mensen 2	Less work for fewer people
Minder computerspelletjes doen	[Do fewer ...] Spend less time playing computer games
Minder vloeken	Curse less (resolutions)
Dat is een zorg minder 2 3 4	That's one less worry - something we don't have to worry about anymore
't Is al minder erg 2 3	[It's already less bad] - It's not as bad as it was (pain etc.)
Net iets minder dan honderdduizend gulden 2	Just a little less than a hundred thousand guilders
min of meer	['less or more'] - about, roughly, 'more or less'
meer of minder	more or less
een kilo'tje meer or minder	a kilo more or less (what does it matter)
een kilo'tje meer or minder - wat maakt het uit	a kilo more or less - what does it matter
niet meer of minder 2 3	[not more or less] - not more and not less (the exact amount)
(het) minderwaardigheidscomplex 2	[(less)-lower-value-] inferiority complex
(de) minderheid 2 3	minority
irregular plural: minderheden 2	minorities

(de) oppasser 2 3 4

(de) oppas

(de) begeleider 2

'Least' is Minst

minst

minste 2

de minst slechte ... 2 3	the least bad ...
Wat is het minste werk? 2 3	What is the least work?
De weg van de minste weerstand kiezen 2 3	Choose the [way, road] line of least resistance, the easiest way

'Gering' is a somewhat formal word for 'small, little.' Its superlative degree is 'geringste.'

het minste of geringste 2	[the least or the littlest] - the least, the littlest
Bij 't minste of geringste geluid werd-ie wakker	He woke up at the littlest noise
minstens 2 / tenminste 2 3	at least
't Kost minstens twee weken 2	It will take at least 2 weeks
tenminste houdbaar tot ... 2	[can be kept at least till ...] - best before ...
(het) minimum 2 3	minimum
minimaal 2	minimal, at least

'Genoeg'  is 'Enough'

Is er genoeg brood? 2 3	Is there enough bread?
Er is genoeg brood 2	There is enough bread
Is er nog genoeg brood? 2	Is there still enough bread?
Heb je genoeg gedronken? 2	Have you drunk enough?
Nou is het wel genoeg geweest! 2	Now that's [been] enough!
Heb je genoeg licht?	Do you have enough light?
Er is niet genoeg tijd	There is not enough time
Er is niet genoeg ruimte 2	There is not enough space
Ik krijg niet genoeg slaap	I'm not getting enough sleep
Ze zeggen dat er niet genoeg tijd is	They say there's not enough time
Er is nooit genoeg tijd	There is never enough time
Er is elke dag weer te weinig tijd	Every day, there is always too little, not enough time
Elke dag heeft genoeg aan z'n eigen leed	Each day has enough suffering of its own
Een enkel woord is genoeg 2	[A single word is enough] - You don't have to say much
goed genoeg 2	good enough
't Is niet genoeg 2	It's not enough
't Is nooit genoeg 2	It's never enough, there is never enough
Ik heb er genoeg van 2	[I have enough of it] - I'm sick of it
Er is genoeg voor iedereen 2 3	There is enough for everybody
(Het) genoegen is a somewhat old-fashioned word for 'pleasure, satisfaction' ‑>>
"Het is mij een genoegen ..." 2	"It is with (great) pleasure ..."

Comparative and Superlative Degree in General

(de) vergrotende trap 2 3 - comparative degree

(de) overtreffende trap 2 - superlative degree

(de) 'trap' usually either means 'stairs' or 'kick,' but it can also mean 'stage' like here or for instance in a rocket

De verwachtingen overtreffen 2 3 to exceed (beat) expectations

Sommige dieren zijn meer gelijk	Some animals are more equal
efficiënter 2	more efficient

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Don't be a dief (thief) / dievegge (female thief) - diefstal (theft) - stelen (to steal) - heler (dealer in stolen goods) - hear Dutch - 2