Breakdown of Hoe meer vierkante meters het heeft, des te blijer is de koper.
zijn
to be
blij
happy
hebben
to have
het
it
Questions & Answers about Hoe meer vierkante meters het heeft, des te blijer is de koper.
Why does the verb heeft go at the very end of the first half of the sentence?
The word hoe acts like a subordinating conjunction here, which pushes the conjugated verb to the end of the clause. That is why heeft comes last, similar to how clauses starting with omdat or dat work.
Why is the verb is placed before the subject de koper in the second half?
The phrase des te blijer takes up the first position in this main clause. Because Dutch follows the verb-second rule in main clauses, the verb is must come immediately after it. This pushes the subject de koper to the third position, a word order change known as inversion.
Is it possible to use hoe in both halves of the sentence instead of hoe ... des te?
Yes! In everyday speech, it is very common to hear hoe ..., hoe .... You could absolutely say Hoe meer vierkante meters het heeft, hoe blijer is de koper and it would sound completely natural.
Dutch usually uses singular nouns for units of measurement. Why is it plural meters here?
When a measurement follows an exact number like tien or honderd, it normally stays singular. However, because meer (more) is an indefinite amount rather than a specific number, the plural form meters is used instead.