Breakdown of De zee is veel dieper dan de rivier.
zijn
to be
veel
much / many / a lot of
de rivier
the river
diep
deep
Questions & Answers about De zee is veel dieper dan de rivier.
How do we form the comparative word dieper?
The base adjective is diep (deep). Just like in English, you add -er to the end of a regular adjective to make it a comparative, resulting in dieper (deeper).
Why is veel used here instead of erg or heel?
veel means "much" or "a lot". Just like in English, you use "much" before a comparative ("much deeper"), not "very". In Dutch, you must use veel dieper, not erg dieper or heel dieper.
When do we use dan in comparisons?
dan translates directly to "than". Whenever you compare two things using an -er adjective (like dieper), you use dan to introduce the second part of the comparison.