Learn Italian: Più trattori usiamo, più velocemente raccogliamo il grano. - The more tractors we use, the faster we harvest the wheat.

Più trattori usiamo, più velocemente raccogliamo il grano.

The more tractors we use, the faster we harvest the wheat.

Breakdown of Più trattori usiamo, più velocemente raccogliamo il grano.

usare

to use

più

more / anymore (with 'non')

Questions & Answers about Più trattori usiamo, più velocemente raccogliamo il grano.

Why isn't there a word for "the" before più, like in the English "the more... the faster..."?

In Italian correlative clauses, you drop the definite article. You just say più ... più ... (literally "more ... more ..."). Adding an article like il before più would turn it into a superlative, meaning "the most," which changes the meaning completely.

In the first part, più modifies a noun (trattori), but in the second part, it modifies an adverb (velocemente). Does più ever change its ending to agree with what it modifies?

No, più is invariable. Whether it means "more tractors" (modifying a masculine plural noun) or "more quickly" (modifying an adverb), it always stays exactly the same: più.

Could I say più veloce instead of più velocemente in this sentence?

Yes, in everyday spoken Italian, people often use the adjective veloce as an adverb, so saying più veloce raccogliamo is very common. However, più velocemente is the formally correct choice because it describes how the action of the verb (raccogliamo) is performed.

Why do we use the present indicative (usiamo, raccogliamo) here instead of the subjunctive?

Correlative structures using più ... più ... describe a direct, factual cause-and-effect relationship. Because it is presented as a general truth or fact, the indicative mood is required, and the present tense is standard, just as it is in English.