Driemaal

Driemaal is a Dutch term meaning three times or threefold. It functions as an adverbial or quantitative expression used to indicate repetition or a multiplicative factor, for example in phrases that mean something is three times as large or is repeated three times.

Etymology and form. The word is built from drie, meaning three, and maal, meaning times or occurrences. It appears in Dutch from older periods and remains in use in formal or mathematical contexts. Spelling varies: the form can be written as one word (driemaal) or as two words (drie maal) in different styles or periods. Hyphenated variants such as drie-maal may also be encountered.

Usage. In arithmetic, driemaal is used to express multiplication, as in drie maal vijf equals vijftien (3 × 5 = 15). In everyday language, it can modify verbs, adjectives, or nouns to convey repetition or scale, for example driemaal herhalen (repeat three times) or driemaal zo veel (three times as much). In colloquial speech, speakers often prefer the variant drie keer for referring to repetition, but driemaal remains common in formal writing or rhetorical contexts.

Variants and scope. Driemaal is primarily a quantitative or emphatic expression rather than a standalone noun. Its usage tends to be more frequent in written Dutch, scientific or mathematical prose, and older texts, while spoken Dutch often opts for "drie keer" for clarity.

See also: maal, keer, drie.