Kortere

Kortere is a form found in the Dutch language, serving as an inflected adjective related to the adjective kort, meaning short. It is commonly encountered in contexts where the noun it describes is definite or when contrasting two or more items, effectively meaning “the shorter” or “the shorter one.”

Morphology and usage

In Dutch, adjectives are inflected for definiteness. When an adjective modifies a definite noun, it often takes an -e ending, which leads to forms such as korte, de korte man, de korte weg. The specific form kortere appears in several common uses:

- As the definite form of the comparative phrase: de kortere (weg/route, optie, etc.), where the noun is often understood from context, e.g., de kortere van de twee opties.

- In phrases that identify the shorter option among alternatives, such as de kortere van de twee routes.

- In predicative or noun-phrase contexts where the noun is omitted but implied by context, e.g., Kies de kortere.

Relation to other degrees

Kortere is related to the comparative degree, which is korter. While korter is used to directly compare two items (shorter), kortere typically appears in definite noun phrases or ellipsed forms (the shorter one).

Etymology

Kortere derives from kort (short) with standard Dutch inflection patterns. The form has long-standing usage in written and spoken Dutch, especially in instructions, descriptions of routes or options, and comparative contexts.

See also

Dutch grammar, comparative adjectives in Dutch, definite adjective inflection.