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Mientras más estricto es el gurú, mejor es la sanación.

Mientras más estricto es el gurú, mejor es la sanación.
The stricter the guru is, the better the healing is.
From Lesson 475:Infinitives as subjects (el + infinitive)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Mientras más estricto es el gurú, mejor es la sanación.

Why does the sentence use mientras más instead of el más to say "the stricter"?
In English, we use "the + comparative" twice to show cause and effect (like "the stricter, the better"). Spanish doesn't translate this literally. Instead, you use correlative formulas like mientras más... más/mejor... or cuanto más... más/mejor.... So, mientras más estricto is the natural way to say "the stricter."
Could I use an articulated infinitive like el sanar in this sentence instead of la sanación?
Absolutely! Since this lesson focuses on el + infinitive, it's a great time to notice that you could say mejor es el sanar. Adding el before the infinitive sanar turns the verb into a noun meaning "the act of healing," which works perfectly here as a replacement for the regular noun la sanación.
Why is the word order estricto es el gurú instead of el gurú es estricto?
In structures like mientras más, the adjective being compared (estricto) must stay glued to the comparison phrase. After that, Spanish prefers to put the verb (es) before the subject (el gurú) because it flows much more naturally than placing a long subject between the adjective and the verb.
Why does the sentence use es instead of está when talking about how strict the guru is?
We use ser (es) because being strict is being treated as a defining characteristic, method, or personality trait of this guru. If you wanted to say the guru is acting strict just for today as a temporary mood or departure from the norm, you would use estar (está).

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