Breakdown of Hoe beter de isolatie is, des te energiezuiniger is het huis.
zijn
to be
het huis
the house
hoe
how
beter
better
des te
the (proportion)
energiezuinig
energy-efficient
de isolatie
the insulation
Questions & Answers about Hoe beter de isolatie is, des te energiezuiniger is het huis.
Why is the verb is at the very end of the first part, Hoe beter de isolatie is?
In Dutch, a hoe phrase that starts a correlative sentence like this acts as a subordinate clause (a dependent clause). Because of this, the verb is gets pushed to the very end of that clause.
Why is the word order is het huis instead of het huis is in the second half?
The second half acts as a main clause. The phrase des te energiezuiniger (the more energy-efficient) occupies the first position in this clause. In Dutch, whenever something other than the subject takes position one, the subject and verb swap places (inversion). Therefore, the verb is comes right before the subject het huis.
Can I just use hoe twice, like how English uses 'the' twice in 'the better... the more...'?
Yes, you can! Saying Hoe beter de isolatie is, hoe energiezuiniger het huis is is very common, especially in spoken Dutch. However, note that if you use hoe in the second half, it makes that half a subordinate clause too, which pushes its verb to the end. Using des te keeps the second half as a main clause with inversion.
How exactly is the word energiezuiniger formed?
It is a compound word made of energie (energy) and zuinig (economical or frugal), which together mean energy-efficient. Because it acts as a regular adjective, you make it comparative (meaning 'more energy-efficient') simply by adding -er to the end, giving you energiezuiniger.
Learn Hoe beter de isolatie is, des te energiezuiniger is het huis and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free