Proportional Comparisons with 'hoe ... des te'
To express a proportional relationship like "The bigger, the better", Dutch uses the correlative structure hoe ... des te along with comparative adjectives.
This structure requires a specific word order:
- The hoe part acts as a dependent clause, meaning the verb is pushed to the end.
- The des te part acts as the main clause. Because it begins with the phrase des te plus the comparative adjective, it triggers inversion, and the verb comes immediately before the subject.
| The larger the surface area is, the higher the price is. | Hoe groter de oppervlakte is, des te hoger is de prijs. |
| The more square meters it has, the happier the buyer is. | Hoe meer vierkante meters het heeft, des te blijer is de koper. |
| The faster the seller sells the house, the better it is. | Hoe sneller de verkoper het huis verkoopt, des te beter is het. |
Navigating the Housing Market
When dealing with real estate, a buyer and seller must consider various factors that influence the price and mortgage. You will frequently use proportional comparisons to describe how a central location or an energy-efficient home with good insulation leads to a more favorable financial situation.
| The more central the location is, the more favorable the price is for the seller. | Hoe centraler de locatie is, des te gunstiger is de prijs voor de verkoper. |
| The better the insulation is, the more energy-efficient the house is. | Hoe beter de isolatie is, des te energiezuiniger is het huis. |
| The lower the interest is, the cheaper the mortgage is. | Hoe lager de rente is, des te goedkoper is de hypotheek. |
| The fewer square meters you buy, the lower the mortgage is. | Hoe minder vierkante meters je koopt, des te lager is de hypotheek. |
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