veel

Veel is a Dutch quantifier and adverb meaning “a lot” or “much.” It expresses a large quantity or extent and is used with both mass nouns and plural count nouns. With nouns, veel typically precedes the noun in phrases such as veel geld (a lot of money) and veel tijd (a lot of time). For plural nouns, vele is the more formal or literary alternative meaning “many” (for example, vele mensen).

As an adverb, veel functions to intensify verbs and adjectives: Het kost veel; ze werkt veel; veel beter; veel interessanter. It does not inflect for gender or number, and it can appear before adjectives to form comparisons or intensifications.

Usage notes and contrasts: Veel is common in everyday speech. VeIe is more formal or written and tends to appear with plural nouns. In negative constructions you can say niet veel to mean “not much.” Vele kan ook stand alone as a determiner or pronoun in more formal contexts, e.g., vele mensen dacht(en), indicating a larger, often highlighted, quantity.

Etymology and relatives: Veel is of Germanic origin and is cognate with German viel (“much”). Related Dutch forms include vele (plural/quantitative emphasis), weinig (little), and velevoud (multiplicity).

Translations and scope: Veel covers “much,” “a lot of,” and, in plural contexts, “many.” It is a versatile word in Dutch, used across informal and formal registers to convey scale, extent, or emphasis.