Breakdown of Jo mere lønnen stiger, des gladere bliver chefen.
glad
happy
chefen
the boss
blive
to stay / to become
mere
more / anymore (with a negative)
Questions & Answers about Jo mere lønnen stiger, des gladere bliver chefen.
Why does this sentence use jo in the first half but des in the second?
To say "the (more)..., the (more)..." in Danish, you can use either jo ..., jo ... or jo ..., des .... They mean exactly the same thing. Using des in the second half is just a common alternative, but you could also perfectly well say jo mere lønnen stiger, jo gladere bliver chefen.
Why is the word order lønnen stiger (subject-verb) in the first part, but reversed to bliver chefen (verb-subject) in the second?
This is the trickiest rule for this grammar structure! The first part (the jo clause) acts like a subordinate clause, so the subject comes before the verb (lønnen stiger). The second part (the des clause) acts like a main clause. Because it starts with the comparative phrase des gladere, it triggers the V2 (verb-second) rule, forcing the verb to swap places and come right before the subject (bliver chefen).
Why do we use mere here instead of flere?
We use mere for amounts, uncountable nouns, and abstract concepts—like how much a salary rises. You only use flere when talking about countable items, such as "the more employees" (jo flere medarbejdere).
Could I say des mere glad instead of des gladere?