veel/weinig

Much and Little

Level 2

Veel = much, many, a lot of
Weinig = little, few, not much/many

How It Works

In Dutch, veel and weinig are the primary quantifiers used to describe quantity. Their usage is simpler than English in one major way: they work for everything.

  • Countable Nouns: veel boeken (many books), weinig mensen (few people).
  • Uncountable Nouns: veel water (much water), weinig tijd (little time).

Inflection Rules:
In most cases, these words do not take an -e ending. However, they must take an -e when following a definite article (de/het) or a possessive pronoun, regardless of whether the noun is countable or uncountable (e.g., het vele werk, mijn weinige vrije tijd). In formal or literary Dutch, you may also see vele or weinige used without an article, but only with plural countable nouns (e.g., vele jaren).

Partitive -s:
When veel or weinig is followed by an adjective acting as a noun, the adjective gets a partitive -s. For example: veel nieuws (much news) or weinig goeds (little good).

Comparison:
Both words have irregular degrees of comparison:

  • veel → meer → meeste
  • weinig → minder → minste

Note that the comparatives meer and minder take no -e ending as quantity words (mindere exists only in the meaning 'inferior'). Do not confuse meer with the word meerdere, which is a separate quantifier meaning 'several' or 'multiple'. The superlatives meeste and minste follow standard adjective inflection and almost always take an -e when used before a noun (e.g., de meeste mensen).

Examples (5)

  1. Er zijn veel mensen op de markt vandaag.

    There are many people at the market today.

    Word by Word: There are many people on the market today.

    Here 'veel' is used with a countable plural noun (mensen).

  2. Ik heb weinig tijd om mijn huiswerk te maken.

    I have little time to do my homework.

    Word by Word: I have little time for my homework to make.

    Here 'weinig' is used with an uncountable singular noun (tijd).

  3. Drink je veel water?

    Do you drink a lot of water?

    Word by Word: Drink you much water?

    In questions, 'veel' translates to 'much' or 'a lot of'.

  4. Hij heeft weinig vrienden in deze stad.

    He has few friends in this city.

    Word by Word: He has few friends in this city.

    Using 'weinig' with a countable plural noun (vrienden).

  5. Na vele jaren kwam hij eindelijk terug.

    After many years, he finally returned.

    Word by Word: After many years came he finally back.

    The inflected form 'vele' is used here for formal emphasis on the duration.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'veel' to mean 'very' with an adjective.

    Ik ben veel moe.
    Ik ben heel moe.

    Use heel or erg to mean 'very'. 'Veel' goes with a comparative ('veel beter', much better) or with 'te' ('veel te groot', far too big), not with a plain adjective.

  • Using 'veel' when 'vaak' is the clearer word for frequency.

    Different MeaningIk ga veel naar de bioscoop.
    Ik ga vaak naar de bioscoop.

    'Ik ga veel naar de bioscoop' is correct and means you go a lot. 'Veel' is about how much in total, 'vaak' is about how often, so 'vaak' is the clearer word for frequency.

  • Adding an -e to 'meer' or 'minder' when used as a comparative.

    Ik wil mindere suiker.
    Ik wil minder suiker.

    Unlike most adjectives, the comparative forms 'meer' and 'minder' never take an -e ending. Note that 'meerdere' is a separate word meaning 'several'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

veel/weinigLevel 2Much and Little

Learn This First

To use 'veel' (much/many) and 'weinig' (little/few) correctly, you need to understand the difference between countable and uncountable nouns, which involves knowing how to form plurals. It is also helpful to understand how to ask about quantity and how to express the absence of quantity.

Words in This Pattern

weinig