Question 1

How does بقدر ما ... بقدر ما translate to 'The more ... the more' without using comparative words like أكثر?

Accepted Answer

In English, we use comparatives ('the more... the more...'). However, Arabic achieves this proportional correlation using بقدر (by the amount/measure) + ما (that), followed by standard verbs rather than comparative adjectives. Literally, it reads: 'By the amount that inflation decreases, by the amount that unemployment decreases too.'

Question 2

Why do the verbs for 'decrease' look different (يقل vs تقل)?

Accepted Answer

This is because the verbs must agree with the gender of their respective subjects. التضخم (inflation) is masculine, so it takes the masculine present tense verb يقل. البطالة (unemployment) is feminine (indicated by the taa marbuuta at the end), so it takes the feminine present tense verb تقل.

Question 3

What kind of verb is يقل, and why does it look so short?

Accepted Answer

It comes from the root ق-ل-ل (to be few/little). This is a 'geminate' or doubled verb, meaning its second and third root letters are identical. In the present tense, those two letters merge together and take a shadda (a doubling mark), making the written verb look shorter than a typical three-letter root verb.

Question 4

Could I change the word order and put the nouns before the verbs, like بقدر ما التضخم يقل?

Accepted Answer

It is highly preferred to stick to a Verb-Subject word order here. The particle ما in this structure acts as a connector that expects to be followed directly by a verb, creating a smooth verbal clause. Putting the noun first sounds unnatural in this specific construction.

بقدر ما يقل التضخم، بقدر ما تقل البطالة أيضا.

Breakdown of بقدر ما يقل التضخم، بقدر ما تقل البطالة أيضا.

Questions & Answers about بقدر ما يقل التضخم، بقدر ما تقل البطالة أيضا.

Learn بقدر ما يقل التضخم، بقدر ما تقل البطالة أيضا and more in Arabic