The paired particles ju … des … express proportional comparison: as one degree changes, another degree changes with it. English usually says “the more …, the more …,” but its two instances of “the” are not articles. Esperanto makes the relationship transparent: the ju part names the conditioning scale, and the des part names the corresponding result.
The core pattern
The regular pattern is ju + pli/malpli …, des + pli/malpli …. Both ju and des are invariant particles, as are pli and malpli. The adjective, adverb, or other expression after them carries any endings it ordinarily needs.
Ju pli longe ni atendos, des pli multekosta estos la riparo.
The longer we wait, the more expensive the repair will be.
Ju malpli da pakaĵoj ni kunportos, des pli facile ni vojaĝos.
The fewer packages we take along, the more easily we will travel.
The ju clause is not necessarily earlier in real time. It states the value treated as the basis or condition; the des clause states the value that varies accordingly. In the first example, waiting longer drives the predicted cost upward. This logical division is why exchanging the particles changes the viewpoint:
Ju pli alta estas la temperaturo, des pli rapide degelas la glacio.
The higher the temperature is, the faster the ice melts.
Ju pli rapide degelas la glacio, des pli alta verŝajne estas la temperaturo.
The faster the ice melts, the higher the temperature probably is.
The second sentence treats melting speed as evidence from which temperature is inferred. The facts may describe the same correlation, but the information structure is different.
All four directions are possible
Many textbook examples use ju pli …, des pli …, with both scales rising. The grammar does not require that direction. Each side independently chooses pli or malpli.
| Pattern | Relationship | Example idea |
|---|---|---|
| ju pli …, des pli … | both degrees rise | more practice → more confidence |
| ju pli …, des malpli … | first rises, second falls | more insulation → less noise |
| ju malpli …, des pli … | first falls, second rises | less sleep → more irritability |
| ju malpli …, des malpli … | both degrees fall | less traffic → less pollution |
Ju pli bone ni izolos la fenestrojn, des malpli da bruo eniros.
The better we insulate the windows, the less noise will enter.
Ju malpli mi dormas, des pli malfacile mi koncentriĝas.
The less I sleep, the harder it is for me to concentrate.
Ju malpli da aŭtoj veturas tra la centro, des malpli poluita estas la aero.
The fewer cars travel through the center, the less polluted the air is.
The last combination is less frequently needed, but it is fully regular. The choice follows meaning, not a memorized template.
Adjectives, adverbs, quantities, and whole predicates
The item after pli/malpli may be an adjective (pli alta), an adverb (pli rapide), or a quantity expression. With an uncounted noun or a general amount, use pli/malpli da; with a count presented adjectivally, pli/malpli multaj is available.
Ju pli da detaloj vi donos, des pli precize ni povos taksi la koston.
The more details you provide, the more accurately we can estimate the cost.
Ju malpli multaj homoj redaktas la saman dosieron samtempe, des malpli oftaj estas konfliktoj.
The fewer people edit the same file at once, the less frequent conflicts are.
This is the same degree-and-quantity system described on the pages about comparatives and quantity comparison. English “more” does not tell you which Esperanto construction to choose: pli klara raises a degree of clarity, while pli da klarigoj raises the number or amount of explanations.
A verb can also provide the scale. Pli labori means “work more,” though labori pli multe can make an amount-of-activity reading more explicit:
Ju pli ni kunlaboras, des malpli ni devas refari poste.
The more we collaborate, the less we have to redo later.
Clause order, omission, and emphasis
The canonical order is ju …, des …, and it is the clearest pedagogical choice. The des clause can nevertheless come first when it is the main point and the ju clause follows as an explanation:
Des pli trankvila mi fariĝis, ju pli klare ŝi klarigis la planon.
I became calmer the more clearly she explained the plan.
This order is grammatical but marked; use the ordinary ju …, des … order unless discourse gives a reason to foreground the result.
The des expression can appear without an overt ju clause when the conditioning scale is already recoverable. This use is neutral in both speech and writing:
La vojo estos longa, kaj des pli grava estas frua foriro.
The journey will be long, and that makes an early departure all the more important.
Here des pli grava means “more important to that degree / for that reason.” The related fixed connection des pli ke introduces an additional reason and is common in careful prose:
Ni rezervu hodiaŭ, des pli ke la prezoj rapide altiĝas.
Let’s book today, especially since the prices are rising quickly.
This is no longer a fully stated two-scale formula, but its “all the more” logic is inherited from the proportional construction.
Questions, negatives, and conversation
The pair works in questions and under negation. Negation applies to the proposition it occurs in; it does not change ju or des.
Ĉu ju pli longe vi studas Esperanton, des pli facile vi komprenas podkastojn?
Is it the case that the longer you study Esperanto, the more easily you understand podcasts?
Ju pli laŭte li parolis, des malpli la publiko atentis; bruo ne igis la argumenton pli forta.
The louder he spoke, the less the audience paid attention; noise did not make the argument stronger.
— Ĉu ni aldonu ankoraŭ unu funkcion? — Ne nepre. Ju pli simpla estas la aplikaĵo, des pli rapide novuloj lernas ĝin.
— Should we add one more feature? — Not necessarily. The simpler the app is, the faster newcomers learn it.
The exchange also illustrates that ju … des … states a general dependency, not necessarily a mathematically exact law. Context decides whether it is a strict proportional relation, a tendency, or rhetorical advice.
Ju … des … versus ordinary comparison and equality
An ordinary comparative compares two values with ol. A proportional comparison links changes in two scales and normally needs neither ol nor a comparison set:
La rapidtrajno alvenas pli frue ol la buso.
The express train arrives earlier than the bus.
Ju pli rapida estas la trajno, des pli frue ni alvenos.
The faster the train is, the earlier we will arrive.
Equality uses tiel … kiel, not ju … des …:
La tasko estas tiel facila, kiel vi diris.
The task is as easy as you said.
The first construction matches degrees; ju … des … makes one variable track another. Likewise, plej/malplej locate an extreme within a set, often introduced by el, and do not replace the comparatives in this construction. Standard Esperanto says ju pli, not ju plej.
Norm and accepted variation
Ju … des … is foundational, standard Esperanto and register-neutral. Older and modern texts also attest ju … tiom … with the same proportional sense. It is grammatical, but ju … des … is the usual modern recommendation because the paired markers identify the construction immediately:
Ju pli frue vi respondos, tiom pli facile ni trovos lokon.
The sooner you reply, the easier it will be for us to find a place.
The example is accepted variation, not an error. By contrast, symmetrical ju … ju … or des … des … copies patterns from some European languages and is not standard Esperanto.
Common Mistakes
Copying English “the … the …” with the article
❌ La pli multe vi ekzercas, la pli bone vi ludas.
Incorrect — la is the definite article, not a proportional-comparison marker.
✅ Ju pli multe vi ekzercas, des pli bone vi ludas.
The more you practice, the better you play.
Using the same marker twice
❌ Ju pli ni prokrastas, ju pli komplika fariĝas la problemo.
Incorrect in standard Esperanto — the result side takes des.
✅ Ju pli ni prokrastas, des pli komplika fariĝas la problemo.
The longer we postpone, the more complicated the problem becomes.
Inflecting invariant particles
❌ Ju pliaj longaj estas la kunvenoj, des malpliaj atentaj estas la partoprenantoj.
Incorrect — pli and malpli are invariant; plia means additional.
✅ Ju pli longaj estas la kunvenoj, des malpli atentaj estas la partoprenantoj.
The longer the meetings are, the less attentive the participants are.
Translating quantity as bare degree
❌ Ju pli tempo ni havas, des pli da eraroj ni rimarkas.
Incorrect — an amount before a noun normally requires pli da.
✅ Ju pli da tempo ni havas, des pli da eraroj ni rimarkas.
The more time we have, the more errors we notice.
Adding ol as though this were an ordinary comparative
❌ Ju pli klare ol vi klarigas, des pli facile ni komprenas.
Incorrect — there is no comparison standard after klare here.
✅ Ju pli klare vi klarigas, des pli facile ni komprenas.
The more clearly you explain, the more easily we understand.
Key Takeaways
Use ju + pli/malpli for the conditioning scale and des + pli/malpli for the corresponding scale. Choose pli or malpli independently on each side, distinguish degree from quantity, and keep all four particles invariant. Ju … tiom … is accepted but less usual; ju … ju …, article la, and unnecessary ol do not form the standard proportional construction.
Related Topics
- Comparatives with Pli and MalpliA2 — Compare higher and lower degrees with the invariant particles pli and malpli, and choose correctly among degree, quantity, and equality patterns.
- Degree Modifiers with ComparativesB2 — Refine Esperanto comparatives by stating the size, progression, emphasis, or exact measure of the difference.
- Comparing Actions and ClausesC1 — Compare whole actions and propositions with ol and kiel, manage ellipsis and scope, and make tense, case, and parallel structure explicit.
- Equality with Tiel… Kiel…B1 — Express equal degree and manner with tiel… kiel…, distinguish equality from inequality and quantity, and control ellipsis and scope.
- Quantity ComparisonB2 — Compare amounts and counts with pli da, pli multaj, tiom… kiom…, and numerical thresholds while keeping degree and addition distinct.