Breakdown of Ju större utbudet är, dess lönsammare blir affären.
vara
to be
stor
big
bli
to become
ju
as you know / of course
affären
the store, the shop
dess
the (in proportional comparisons)
utbudet
the supply (market, selection)
lönsam
profitable
Questions & Answers about Ju större utbudet är, dess lönsammare blir affären.
Why is it "dess" instead of "desto" in the second half of the sentence?
In Swedish, you can use either desto or dess for the second part of a proportional comparison. Ju..., desto... is the most common combination, but ju..., dess... means exactly the same thing. It is perfectly correct, though it can sometimes sound just a little bit more formal.
Why does the first clause end with the verb "är", while in the second clause the verb "blir" comes before the subject "affären"?
This is a great reminder of how these clauses work! The ju clause acts as a subordinate clause, which uses standard subject-verb order (utbudet är). The dess clause, however, is the main clause. Because it starts with the comparative phrase dess lönsammare, the V2 rule (verb in second position) forces the verb blir to jump in front of the subject affären.
Why is there an extra "m" in "lönsammare" compared to the base word "lönsam"?
When an adjective ends in a short vowel followed by an "m" (like lönsam or dum), the "m" is doubled before adding endings that start with a vowel, such as the comparative ending -are. This spelling rule ensures that the preceding vowel sound stays short.
Can "utbudet" mean anything else besides "the supply"?
Yes, ett utbud very frequently refers to a "selection" or "range" of products. In the context of shopping, ju större utbudet är is often best understood as "the bigger the selection is."
Does "affären" only mean "the store" in this context?
It absolutely can mean "the store", but en affär also translates to "a business" or "a deal". Depending on the broader context of the conversation, this sentence could easily mean "the bigger the supply, the more profitable the business becomes."
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