eenvoudig vs gemakkelijk
Dutch word comparison
Listen to eenvoudig
Listen to gemakkelijk
| eenvoudig | gemakkelijk |
|---|---|
EEN-vou-dig adjective | guh-MAK-uh-luk adjective |
| simple; easy to understand or not complicated | easy; effortless; not hard to do |
How they differ
"Gemakkelijk" overlaps with "eenvoudig" when something is easy, but it focuses more on lack of difficulty than on simplicity of structure or design. Something can be "gemakkelijk" because it is easy to do, even if it is not especially simple.
When to use each
When to use eenvoudig: Prefer "eenvoudig" when you mean that something is straightforward, plain, or not complex.
When to use gemakkelijk: Prefer "gemakkelijk" when you want to emphasize that a task or action takes little effort.
Side-by-side examples
- Het formulier is eenvoudig en duidelijk ingevuld.
(The form is filled in simply and clearly.) - Het formulier is gemakkelijk in te vullen.
(The form is easy to fill in.)
Register & nuance: "Gemakkelijk" is very common in both spoken and written Dutch and is slightly more about ease than simplicity.
- See the full Word of the Day entry for eenvoudig
- See the Word of the Day entry for gemakkelijk
- Back to today's Dutch word