When you want to express how one change directly causes another—like saying "the more... the better" or "the bigger... the faster"—Icelandic uses the structure því... því... along with the comparative forms of adjectives or adverbs.
Cause and Effect: Því... því...
Proportional correlative sentences are split into two halves: the condition and the result.
- The condition (first half): Starts with því
- a comparative word + sem. This is followed by the subject and the verb.
- The result (second half): Starts with því
- a comparative word. Because this phrase takes up the first position in the main clause, the verb must come immediately after it to satisfy the V2 (verb-second) rule, followed by the subject.
Let's see this in action with vocabulary related to economics and investing.
| The more you invest, the bigger the savings become. | Því meira sem þú fjárfestir, því stærri verður sparnaðurinn. |
| The bigger the investment is, the more the risk is. | Því stærri sem fjárfestingin er, því meiri er áhættan. |
Mixing Adjectives and Adverbs
The comparative word immediately following því can be an adjective describing a noun (like stærri / bigger, minni / smaller), or it can be an adverb describing an action (like oftar / more often).
| The more often you buy the stock, the better the return becomes. | Því oftar sem þú kaupir hlutabréfið, því betri verður ávöxtunin. |
| The smaller the risk is, the smaller the profit is. | Því minni sem áhættan er, því minni er hagnaðurinn. |
Describing Trends
This structure is perfect for describing market trends and economic impacts, such as how inflation (verðbólgan) impacts prices, or how a company's losses (tapið) stack up. Notice how the second verb always sits directly behind the second comparative word.
| The more the inflation is, the more expensive the food becomes. | Því meiri sem verðbólgan er, því dýrari verður maturinn. |
| The more often the company loses, the bigger the loss becomes. | Því oftar sem fyrirtækið tapar, því stærra verður tapið. |