All German word comparisons · Back to the topic overview
Meaning, sentence patterns and examples
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| mehr | more; a greater amount or number | increases; additional items; larger quantities | unchanged quantifier; comparative of viel |
| mehrere | several; more than one | an unspecified number of countable things | plural quantifier: mehrere, mehreren, mehrerer |
mehr
Meaning and usage: Mehr says that an amount, count, or degree exceeds a reference point. That reference can be stated explicitly or understood from context. Mehr Bücher therefore means more books, not merely several books. Mehr Wasser means a greater quantity of water.
Grammar: In quantity expressions, mehr stays unchanged: mehr Zeit, mit mehr Zeit, mehr Fragen. A following adjective and noun still take their own required forms. Mehr is the comparative of viel. Separate adverbial uses include mehr arbeiten and nicht mehr, meaning no longer or not any more.
Ich brauche mehr Zeit für diese Aufgabe.
I need more time for this task.
Heute habe ich mehr Fragen als gestern.
Today I have more questions than yesterday.
Ich wohne nicht mehr in Köln.
I no longer live in Cologne.
mehrere
Meaning and usage: Mehrere describes more than one item without saying there are more than before. It does not specify a fixed numerical range. It can mean several different possibilities or an unspecified number of people. Do not teach a rule such as “mehrere always means three to seven.”
Grammar: As an indefinite pronoun or quantifier, it normally has plural forms: nominative/accusative mehrere, dative mehreren, genitive mehrerer. Use mit mehreren Fragen. A plural noun in dative normally also gains -n where appropriate: mit mehreren Freunden. It can stand alone: mehrere von ihnen.
Mehrere Teilnehmer haben dieselbe Frage gestellt.
Several participants asked the same question.
Ich habe mit mehreren Freunden gesprochen.
I spoke with several friends.
Mehrere von ihnen lernen auch Englisch.
Several of them also learn English.
Overlap and context
Ich habe mehr Bücher compares the number with a reference: yesterday, someone else, or what you expected. Ich habe mehrere Bücher simply says that there is more than one. Mehr can describe both countable and uncountable quantities, whereas mehrere does not fit ordinary mass-noun expressions such as mehrere Wasser. If you count bottles or types, name those units instead.
Common mistakes
- Do not translate “several questions” as mehr Fragen unless you intend a comparison.
- Do not use mehrere with ordinary uncountable Wasser or Zeit; use mehr or name countable units.
- Do not leave mehrere unchanged after mit: use mit mehreren … .
- Do not interpret nicht mehr as “not several”; it often means no longer.
Memory aid: Mehr asks “more than what?”; mehrere answers “more than one, but how many is unspecified.”
Try it
You asked some questions, with no comparison to yesterday. Choose: Ich habe ___ Fragen gestellt.
Show the answer
mehrere
You mean several questions. Mehr would suggest a larger number relative to a comparison or expectation.