eerdere

Eerdere is a Dutch adjective and determiner meaning "earlier" or "previous." It is used to refer to something that occurred or existed before a referenced point in time, and it is typically placed before the noun it modifies.

In use, eerdere takes an -e ending when it appears before a definite noun, and it inflects for number. Examples include de eerdere versie (the earlier version), de eerdere jaren (the previous years). It can also appear with indefinite nouns: een eerdere versie (an earlier version). The form is commonly found in written and spoken Dutch, especially in contexts that compare or sequence events or items.

Grammatically, eerdere is the attributive form of the comparative adverb eerder. It is not used as a standalone adverb; to say “earlier” without a noun, Dutch normally uses eerder. When referring to a noun, eerdere serves to characterize it as preceding in time relative to another reference point.

Etymology, in brief, tracksedere to the adjective eerder, with the standard attributive suffix -e that Dutch applies before definite nouns and in some singular and plural forms. The meaning remains straightforward: indicating something that happened, existed, or was encountered before another event, period, or item.

See also: eerder, eerder version. See also synonyms such as vroeger or eerder in different contexts.