Breakdown of Ju lägre utbudet är, desto starkare blir konkurrensen.
vara
to be
stark
strong / spicy (of food)
bli
to become
låg
low
ju
as you know / of course
desto
the (in proportional comparisons)
utbudet
the supply (market, selection)
konkurrensen
the competition (rivalry)
Questions & Answers about Ju lägre utbudet är, desto starkare blir konkurrensen.
How does the word order differ between the ju half and the desto half of this sentence?
The ju part is a subordinate clause, so it uses straight word order after the comparative: subject then verb (utbudet är). The desto part is the main clause. Because the phrase desto starkare takes up the first position, the V2 rule kicks in. This forces the verb to come before the subject (blir konkurrensen).
Why do we use lägre and starkare here?
The ju... desto... structure is used to show how one thing changes in proportion to another, just like the English "the... the...". It requires adjectives in their comparative forms. Here, we use lägre (lower) from låg (low), and starkare (stronger) from stark (strong).
Could I use dess instead of desto here?
Yes, absolutely. You can say ju lägre utbudet är, dess starkare blir konkurrensen. In this type of comparison, dess and desto mean the exact same thing and are completely interchangeable.
Why are the nouns utbudet and konkurrensen in their definite forms?
Just like in English ("the supply", "the competition"), we are talking about specific concepts in a given scenario. utbudet is the definite form of the ett-word ett utbud, and konkurrensen is the definite form of the en-word en konkurrens.
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