Question 1

Can we mix meno and più in correlative clauses?

Accepted Answer

Yes! While you often see symmetrical pairs like più... più... (the more... the more) or meno... meno... (the less... the less), you can absolutely mix them. Here, meno... più... expresses an inverse proportion: "the less (often)... the more (healthy)...".

Question 2

Why are più and sani separated by the subject and verb in the second clause?

Accepted Answer

In English, you usually keep the comparative grouping together at the start of the clause ("the healthier"). In Italian, the più or meno acts as a structural anchor at the very beginning of the clause, while the adjective it modifies (sani) can sit in its normal position after the verb. You could also say ...più sani crescono i semi, but separating them as shown here is very natural and common.

Question 3

Why is the subject placed after the verb in the first clause (arrivano le gelate)?

Accepted Answer

With verbs of arriving, appearing, or existing (like arrivare, entrare, or nascere), Italian frequently inverts the subject and verb. This puts the focus on the event itself. Le gelate arrivano would be grammatically fine, but arrivano le gelate flows much more naturally in this context.

Question 4

Shouldn't sani be an adverb since it follows the verb crescono?

Accepted Answer

No, sani acts as a predicative adjective here. It isn't describing the physical action of how they grow; rather, it describes the state of the seeds (i semi) as they grow. Because it describes the masculine plural subject (i semi), the adjective must end in -i.

Meno spesso arrivano le gelate, più i semi crescono sani.

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