Proportional Comparisons: "The More, The More"
To express how two situations change together—like saying "the more X, the more Y" or "the higher X, the lower Y"—Romanian uses a paired construction: cu cât ... cu atât.
Cu cât begins the first clause (the condition), and cu atât begins the second clause (the result). They are typically followed by verbs, or by adjectives and adverbs in their comparative form (using mai).
| The more the price rises, the higher inflation is. | Cu cât crește prețul, cu atât inflația este mai mare. |
| The higher unemployment is, the more the economy declines. | Cu cât șomajul este mai mare, cu atât scade economia. |
You can pair these structures with comparatives like mai mic (smaller/lower), mai bine (better), or mai rău (worse) to describe inverse or negative relationships.
| The lower the tax is, the better it is. | Cu cât impozitul este mai mic, cu atât este mai bine. |
| The longer the crisis is, the worse it is. | Cu cât criza este mai lungă, cu atât este mai rău. |
Discussing the Economy
When discussing the cost of living and the broader economic situation, you will often use specialized vocabulary like the reflexive verb a se scumpi (to get more expensive) and dobânda (the interest rate).
| Food gets more expensive every day. | Mâncarea se scumpește în fiecare zi. |
| The interest rate has increased a lot today. | Dobânda a crescut foarte mult astăzi. |
You can use verbs like a afecta (to affect) to describe the broad impact of these economic problems.
| The problem affects the whole country. | Problema afectează toată țara. |
| Unemployment is a severe economic problem. | Șomajul este o problemă economică gravă. |
Finally, you might encounter these terms alongside the pluperfect tense, especially when describing financial situations that happened before another past event.
| Life had gotten more expensive before inflation dropped. | Viața se scumpise înainte să scadă inflația. |