As ... as Possible
Dutch wraps an adjective or adverb between zo and mogelijk to say as ... as possible:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| zo snel mogelijk | as fast as possible |
| zo vroeg mogelijk | as early as possible |
| zo goedkoop mogelijk | as cheap as possible |
| zo veel mogelijk | as much as possible |
The frame is fixed: zo + the plain, uninflected form + mogelijk. Nothing else goes between them.
| Come home as fast as possible! | Kom zo snel mogelijk naar huis! |
| You have to leave as early as possible. | Je moet zo vroeg mogelijk vertrekken. |
Inside the Sentence
The whole frame behaves like one adverb. With a modal verb it sits inside the verb bracket, before the infinitive at the end:
| I want to learn as much as possible. | Ik wil zo veel mogelijk leren. |
With a separable verb, the frame stays before the split-off prefix:
| She explains it as clearly as possible. | Zij legt het zo duidelijk mogelijk uit. |
Quantities Too
Zo veel mogelijk (as much as possible) and zo weinig mogelijk (as little as possible) follow the same pattern and can stand before a verb or on their own:
| He eats as little as possible. | Hij eet zo weinig mogelijk. |
| She comes as often as possible. | Zij komt zo vaak mogelijk. |
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