Word
Ju pli frue ni alvenas al la stacidomo, des malpli ni atendas sur la perono.
Meaning
The earlier we arrive at the station, the less we wait on the platform.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Ju pli frue ni alvenas al la stacidomo, des malpli ni atendas sur la perono.
la
the
ni
we
sur
on
al
to
Questions & Answers about Ju pli frue ni alvenas al la stacidomo, des malpli ni atendas sur la perono.
What does the pattern ju ... des ... mean?
It is the Esperanto way to express a correlative comparison: the more ..., the more ..., the less ..., the less ..., the earlier ..., the less ..., and so on.
In this sentence:
- Ju pli frue ...
- des malpli ...
it means something like the earlier ..., the less ...
A useful pattern to remember is:
- Ju pli X, des pli Y = the more X, the more Y
- Ju malpli X, des malpli Y = the less X, the less Y
- Ju pli frue X, des malpli Y = the earlier X, the less Y
So ju introduces the first side of the comparison, and des introduces the result.
Why is it pli frue and not pli frua?
Because frue is an adverb, while frua is an adjective.
Here, the sentence is describing how we arrive, not directly describing a noun:
- frua trajno = an early train
- ni alvenas frue = we arrive early
Since alvenas is a verb, the word modifying it should be an adverb:
- frue = early
- pli frue = earlier
So Ju pli frue ni alvenas ... means The earlier we arrive ...