Word
Hoe centraler de locatie is, des te gunstiger is de prijs voor de verkoper.
Meaning
The more central the location is, the more favorable the price is for the seller.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Hoe centraler de locatie is, des te gunstiger is de prijs voor de verkoper.
zijn
to be
hoe
how
voor
for (on behalf of)
de prijs
the price
Questions & Answers about Hoe centraler de locatie is, des te gunstiger is de prijs voor de verkoper.
Why is the verb is at the end of the first half, but right after gunstiger in the second half?
The hoe ... part acts as a subordinate clause (dependent clause), which pushes the verb is to the very end: Hoe centraler de locatie is. The des te ... part acts as the main clause. Because this main clause starts with the phrase des te gunstiger rather than the subject, it triggers verb inversion (verb before subject), making it ... is de prijs.
Can I just say hoe ..., hoe ... instead of using des te?
Yes, you can! Dutch speakers frequently use hoe ..., hoe ... just like the English "the ..., the ...". However, hoe ..., des te ... is also very common, slightly more formal, and adds a bit more emphasis to the second part (similar to "all the more" in English). Both structures require a comparative adjective right after the degree word.
Why don't the adjectives centraler and gunstiger get an extra -e ending?
Even though they are comparative adjectives, they are not placed directly in front of a noun here (they aren't "attributive"). Instead, they act as predicate adjectives describing the subjects (de locatie and de prijs). Because they stand apart from the nouns they describe, they don't get an -e ending.
What is the base word for gunstiger?