To say very in Dutch, put _heel_ or _erg_ in front of an adjective (a describing word): _heel mooi_, _erg duur_. _Echt_ means really, _best_ usually means quite (not best), and _nogal_ and _vrij_ mean rather or fairly. With these six words you can say exactly how cold, busy or expensive something is.
The pattern
Put _heel_, _erg_, _echt_, _best_, _nogal_ or _vrij_ directly before an adjective to show how strong it is. In careful writing, they keep this basic form, even before a noun.
- _heel_ and _erg_: very. _heel warm_, _erg druk_. With a verb, use _erg_ or _heel erg_: _Ik mis je erg._
- _echt_: really. _Het is echt koud._ It can also stress that something is true: _Ik kom echt._ Very common in speech.
- _best_: quite or pretty, often with a hint of "more than you might think". _Het is best moeilijk._
- _nogal_ and _vrij_: rather or fairly. _Vrij_ sounds fairly neutral (_vrij rustig_). _Nogal_ can suggest a strong degree or more than you would like (_nogal duur_).
- After _is_ or _zijn_ with no adjective, _erg_ means bad (_Dat is niet erg_, no problem) and _vrij_ means free or off work.
- Before an adjective plus noun, speech often says _een hele mooie dag_, while careful writing uses _een heel mooie dag_.
Examples
| Het is vandaag heel warm. | It is very warm today. |
|---|---|
| Die nieuwe fiets is erg duur. | That new bike is very expensive. |
| Daan is echt blij met zijn nieuwe baan. | Daan is really happy with his new job. |
| Ik mis mijn familie heel erg. | I miss my family very much. |
| Nederlands is best moeilijk. | Dutch is quite difficult. |
| Dit is de beste soep van Amsterdam. | This is the best soup in Amsterdam. |
| De trein was vanochtend nogal vol. | The train was rather full this morning. |
| De huur in Utrecht is vrij hoog. | The rent in Utrecht is fairly high. |
| Lotte is morgen vrij. | Lotte has the day off tomorrow. |
| We hebben een heel mooie dag gehad. | We had a very nice day. |
Why it works this way
Think of each word as a volume knob on the adjective, though not every knob has one fixed setting. _Heel_ and _erg_ usually turn it up high. _Best_ and _vrij_ often set it to a moderate level: clearly more than a little, but less than very. _Echt_ can turn up the degree (_echt koud_) or stress that something is genuinely true (_Ik kom echt._). _Nogal_ means rather, but it can suggest a strong degree, and _nogal duur_ often sounds like a complaint.
The knob is attached to the adjective, not to the noun. In _een heel mooie dag_, _mooie_ gets an -e because of _dag_ (see [adjective endings](#/lesson/adjective-endings)), but _heel_ only describes _mooie_. A word that describes an adjective is an adverb (a word that says how or how much), and Dutch adverbs take no -e. In speech, the -e often spreads to _heel_: _een hele mooie dag_. That is normal in conversation and chat messages. In a job application or an email to the gemeente, write _heel_. With an -e, _hele_ usually means whole: _de hele dag_ (see [heel, al and alle](#/lesson/heel-al-alle)).
_Best_ is a classic [false friend](#/lesson/false-friends). The English best is _de beste_ or _het best_ in Dutch (see [goed, beter, best](#/lesson/irregular-comparison)).
Remember: _best_ is not the best. When Joris calls a party _best leuk_, the party was quite fun, not the party of the year.
Watch out
- Not: _Ik mis je heel._ Say: _Ik mis je erg._ (as very, _heel_ needs an adjective or adverb after it)
- Not: _Het is veel duur._ Say: _Het is erg duur._ (_veel duur_ is wrong; use _heel_ or _erg_. With a comparative, _veel_ works: _veel duurder_)
- Not: _Bas maakt best koffie van het kantoor._ Say: _Bas maakt de beste koffie van het kantoor._ (for the best, say _de beste_)
- Not: _Ik heb de heel dag gewerkt._ Say: _Ik heb de hele dag gewerkt._ (meaning whole, it is an adjective and gets -e after _de_)
Quick check
- Choose _heel_ or _erg_: Ik mis mijn oma ... .
- Mei says: _Het nieuwe kantoor is best groot._ What does she mean? (a) It is the biggest office. (b) It is quite big.
- Choose _heel_ or _veel_: In de supermarkt is het vandaag ... druk.
- In a careful email to the gemeente, choose _heel_ or _hele_: Ik heb een ... korte vraag over mijn paspoort.
Answers
- _erg_: with a verb, _heel_ cannot stand alone.
- (b): _best_ before an adjective like _groot_ means quite.
- _heel_: say _heel druk_, not _veel druk_. _Veel_ only works with a comparative here: _veel drukker_.
- _heel_: in careful writing, the intensifier keeps its basic form.
Use it today
Next time a colleague asks _Hoe was je weekend?_, answer with one of these words: _Best leuk_, _Heel rustig_ or _Echt gezellig_. Then add one sentence with _nogal_ or _vrij_, for example _De trein was nogal vol_.