Learn Hardcore Swedish: Ju mindre pengar hon spenderar, desto gladare känner hon sig. - The less money she spends, the happier she feels.

It’s the Swedish way to say “the … the …” (a correlative comparison). The first clause starts with ju + a comparative, and the second starts with desto + a comparative:

Ju mindre X …, desto gladare Y … Both halves must use comparative forms.

Do both halves have to use comparative forms here?

Yes. You need comparatives in both parts:

mindre (less) is the comparative of lite
gladare (happier) is the comparative of glad Using base forms like lite or glad in this construction would be ungrammatical.

Why is it mindre pengar and not färre pengar?

Swedish generally uses:

mindre with uncountable quantities (less water, less time),
färre with countable items (fewer people, fewer mistakes). Although pengar is morphologically plural, it’s treated like “money” in English (a mass concept), so idiomatic Swedish is mindre pengar, not färre pengar. If you truly mean countable units, you’d specify them: färre mynt/sedlar/kronor.

Why is there a comma between the clauses?

In the ju … desto … construction, a comma is normally used to separate the two comparative clauses for clarity:

Ju mindre …, desto … You’ll often see it written with the comma, though very short clauses can sometimes omit it.

Why is the word order “ju mindre pengar hon spenderar” and not “ju mindre pengar spenderar hon”?

The first half behaves like a subordinate clause: the subject comes before the finite verb (no V2 word order). Hence:

Correct: ju mindre pengar hon spenderar
Incorrect: ju mindre pengar spenderar hon By contrast, the second half is a main clause and does use V2:
Desto gladare (fronted) + känner (verb) + hon (subject) + sig …

Why is the second half “desto gladare känner hon sig” and not “desto gladare hon känner sig”?

Swedish main clauses require V2 word order: the finite verb must be in second position. Since desto gladare is fronted, the verb känner must come next:

Desto gladare känner hon sig … “Desto gladare hon känner sig …” breaks V2.

Why use känner sig instead of just är?

känna sig
- adjective = “to feel” (a state as experienced by the subject): känner hon sig gladare = “she feels happier.”
vara (är) + adjective = “to be” (a state of being): är hon gladare = “she is happier.” Both are grammatical here, but känner sig focuses on the subjective feeling. You could say: Ju mindre pengar hon spenderar, desto gladare är hon for a more neutral “is” statement.

Why is sig needed after känner?

känna sig is a reflexive verb meaning “to feel (oneself) [adjective].” Without sig, känna means “to feel” in a different sense (to sense something, or “to know” someone: känna henne). You can’t say “känner hon gladare”; you must use känner hon sig gladare.

How does the reflexive pronoun change with different subjects?

jag känner mig
du känner dig
han/hon/den/det/man känner sig
vi känner oss
ni känner er
de känner sig

Can I drop pengar and just say “Ju mindre hon spenderar …”?

It’s better style to keep pengar with mindre here. You’ll hear ellipses like ju mindre hon spenderar in context, but spendera is normally transitive. A very idiomatic alternative is: Ju mindre hon gör av med (pengar), desto …

Could I say ju … ju … instead of ju … desto …?

Yes, ju … ju … exists (especially in speech), but ju … desto … is the standard, safest choice in writing:

Standard: Ju mindre …, desto gladare …
Also heard: Ju mindre …, ju gladare …

Can I move the “desto”-phrase elsewhere in the second clause?

Two common, grammatical options:

Fronted (V2): Desto gladare känner hon sig.
After the verb and subject: Hon känner sig desto gladare. Do not split it oddly or break V2 (e.g., “Hon desto gladare känner sig” is wrong).

What’s the singular of pengar? Why is it plural?

Pengar is a plural-only noun (like “scissors” in English), commonly meaning “money.” A singular peng exists but is rare/old-fashioned. If you need a singular unit, use a specific word: en krona, ett mynt, en sedel, en summa.

Why is it gladare and not mer glad?

Most short, common adjectives form the comparative with -are: glad → gladare. Longer or -isk adjectives often use mer: intressant → mer intressant. So say gladare, not mer glad.

Are there any agreement endings on mindre or gladare?

No. In the comparative, mindre and gladare don’t change for gender/number in this usage:

gladare works with all subjects
mindre is invariable

Are there more idiomatic verbs than spendera here?

Spendera pengar is fine and common. Very idiomatic alternatives:

göra av med (pengar): Ju mindre pengar hon gör av med, …
lägga ut (pengar) (often for specific outlays)
slösa (pengar) if you mean “waste”

Any quick pronunciation tips?

ju ≈ “yoo” but with a fronted Swedish u [ʉː]
känner: initial k before ä is “sh”-like [ɕ] → “SHEN-ner”
sig is spelled sig; in everyday speech often sounds like “sej”
pengar: “PENG-ar,” with “ng” as in “sing”
mindre: short “i” (like “min-”) + “dre”
gladare: “GLAH-dah-reh”
V2 matters: in “desto”-clause say “DESTO GLAH-dah-reh KEN-ner hon sej” (verb second).