snel

Snel is a Dutch adjective and adverb meaning fast or quick. As an adjective, it describes high speed or rapidity of people, objects, or processes. As an adverb, snel modifies verbs to mean quickly or promptly. Examples include “De auto rijdt snel” (The car is driving fast) and “Ze liep snel naar huis” (She walked quickly home).

Etymology and cognates: The word derives from Middle Dutch snel and Old Dutch snell, rooted in Proto-Germanic *snellaz. It is cognate with the German schnell. In English, the corresponding historical form is the now-obsolete adjective snell, while modern English uses different terms such as fast or swift.

Grammar and usage: In Dutch, the comparative form is sneller and the superlative is snelst. In everyday speech, snel often stands as both an attributive adjective and a predicative descriptor. It commonly appears in compounds such as snelweg (highway or motorway), snelheid (speed), and snelkookpan (pressure cooker). The phrase zo snel mogelijk means “as soon as possible” or “as fast as possible.”

Context and nuance: Snel is versatile across registers, from casual conversation to formal writing. It conveys a straightforward sense of speed and can be paired with qualifiers to indicate degree, duration, or immediacy. While semantic equivalents like rap or snel kunnen describe rapidity in different contexts, snel remains the standard Dutch term for general speed.