Jo mørkere det blir, desto viktigere er hodelykten.

to be

Breakdown of Jo mørkere det blir, desto viktigere er hodelykten.

• det: it
• viktig: important
• bli: to become

Questions & Answers about Jo mørkere det blir, desto viktigere er hodelykten.

What does the pattern jo ..., desto ... do in Norwegian?

It expresses a linked comparison: as one thing changes, another changes too. It corresponds to English the ..., the ..., as in the darker it gets, the more important the headlamp is.

So in this sentence:

• jo mørkere det blir = as it gets darker
• desto viktigere er hodelykten = the more important the headlamp is

This pattern is very common in Norwegian.

Why do mørkere and viktigere end in -ere?

Because they are comparative forms of adjectives.

• mørk = dark

• mørkere = darker

• viktig = important
• viktigere = more important

In Norwegian, many adjectives form the comparative by adding -ere, similar to English adjectives like dark → darker.

Why is it viktigere instead of something like mer viktig?