To express "as much as... as much as..." or "the more... the more..." in Arabic, we use the phrase بقدر ما. It is perfect for describing proportional correlation, where one fluctuating variable directly impacts another.
| as much as | بقدر ماbiqadri mâ |
The Double Structure: بقدر ما ... بقدر ما
To show that two things change at the same rate, use بقدر ما at the beginning of the sentence, and again at the beginning of the second clause.
This structure is heavily used in economics to describe cause and effect. It is typically followed by present tense verbs when discussing general facts or ongoing trends.
| The more the economy grows, the more people save money. | بقدر ما ينمو الاقتصاد، بقدر ما يدخر الناس المال.biqadri mâ yanmu l-iqtisâdu, biqadri mâ yaddakhiru n-nâsu l-mâla |
| The more inflation rises, the more purchasing power decreases. | بقدر ما يرتفع التضخم، بقدر ما تقل القوة الشرائية.biqadri mâ yartafi'u at-tadakhkhumu, biqadri mâ taqillu al-quwwatu ash-shirâ'iyyatu |
| The more unemployment decreases, the more the local market recovers. | بقدر ما تقل البطالة، بقدر ما ينتعش السوق المحلي.biqadri mâ taqillu al-baṭâlatu, biqadri mâ yanta'ishu as-sûqu al-maḥalliyyu. |
Single Use in the Middle
You can also state the outcome first. In this case, use بقدر ما only once in the middle of the sentence to mean "as much as" or "to the extent that".
| The livelihood of the citizens improves as much as the country grows. | تتحسن معيشة المواطنين بقدر ما ينمو البلد.tatahassanu ma'îshatu al-muwâtinîna biqadri mâ yanmû al-baladu |
| Companies recover as much as investors save. | تنتعش الشركات بقدر ما يدخر المستثمرون.tanta'ishu ash-sharikâtu biqadri mâ yaddakhiru al-mustathmirûn |
Using the Past Tense
While present tense verbs are best for ongoing trends, you can also use بقدر ما with past tense verbs to describe a completed proportional outcome.
| The more the female student studied, the more she succeeded in the exam. | بقدر ما درست الطالبة، بقدر ما نجحت في الامتحان.biqadri mâ darasati t-tâliba, biqadri mâ najahat fil-imtihân |