Breakdown of Ju mer konsumenten vill ha, desto mer ökar bristen.
ha
to have
vilja
to want to
mer
more
ju
as you know / of course
öka
to increase
desto
the (in proportional comparisons)
konsumenten
the consumer
bristen
the shortage
Questions & Answers about Ju mer konsumenten vill ha, desto mer ökar bristen.
Why is the word order different in the two halves of the sentence (konsumenten vill ha vs. ökar bristen)?
The ju half acts as a subordinate clause, meaning the subject (konsumenten) comes before the verb (vill ha). The desto half is a main clause. Because the phrase desto mer takes up the first position in that clause, the verb (ökar) must come right after it, pushing the subject (bristen) to the third position. This is the classic Swedish V2 (verb-second) rule in action!
Why do we use "vill ha" for "wants" instead of just "vill"?
In Swedish, the verb vill generally means "want to [do an action]". When you want a physical thing or a noun (like whatever the consumer is buying here), you must say vill ha (literally "want to have"). If you just wrote ju mer konsumenten vill, a Swedish speaker would be waiting for another verb to finish the thought.
Could I use "dess" instead of "desto" in this sentence?
Yes! In these proportional comparisons, desto and dess are completely interchangeable for the second half of the sentence. You could say Ju mer konsumenten vill ha, dess mer ökar bristen and it would be perfectly correct.
What is the root word of "bristen"?
The root word is en brist, which means a lack, shortage, or deficit. Here it is in the definite form, bristen (the shortage). Paired with the verb ökar (increases), it translates nicely to "the shortage increases".
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