Questions & Answers about Com més àcida és la llimona, menys vinagre hi poso.
What does Com més..., menys... mean in this sentence?
It is a very common Catalan pattern meaning the more..., the less....
So:
- Com més àcida és la llimona... = The more acidic the lemon is...
- ...menys vinagre hi poso. = ...the less vinegar I add to it.
This structure expresses a proportional relationship, just like English:
- The more you study, the better you do.
- Com més estudies, millor et va.
Why does the sentence start with com? Doesn’t com usually mean how or like?
Yes, com often means how or like/as, but here it is part of a fixed comparative structure:
- com més... = the more...
- com menys... = the less...
So in this sentence, com is not asking a question. It is introducing the first half of the comparison.
A useful pattern to remember is:
- Com més X, més Y = The more X, the more Y
- Com més X, menys Y = The more X, the less Y
Why is it àcida and not àcid?