Breakdown of Im częściej podróżuję, tym więcej widzę.
widzieć
to see
podróżować
to travel (make a journey)
więcej
more
im
the (more - first part)
tym
the (more - second part)
częściej
more often
Questions & Answers about Im częściej podróżuję, tym więcej widzę.
How exactly does the im ..., tym ... structure work in this sentence?
It translates to "the [more]..., the [more]...". In Polish, im starts the first clause (the condition), and tym starts the second (the result). You must follow both words immediately with a comparative form. Here, those are the comparative adverbs częściej (more often) and więcej (more).
What is the base form of częściej?
The base form is the adverb często (often). To form the comparative, the -o ending is dropped and replaced with -iej, which causes the consonant cluster st to soften into ść, giving us częściej.
Why is the word więcej used here instead of bardziej? Both can mean "more".
Więcej is used when you are talking about a quantity or amount of something (seeing a greater amount of things). Bardziej is used for the intensity of an action or adjective (like being more interested or more colorful). Since you are seeing a greater quantity of the world, więcej is the correct choice.
Could I say Im bardziej często podróżuję... instead?
No, that would sound unnatural. In Polish, most common adverbs have their own specific one-word comparative forms (like częściej). You generally only use bardziej to make comparisons with adverbs or adjectives that don't easily take a comparative ending.
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