Breakdown of Ju mer larven äter, desto snabbare utvecklas den inuti kokongen.
den
it (common)
snabb
fast
äta
to eat
mer
more
ju
as you know / of course
desto
the (in proportional comparisons)
inuti
inside (within)
larven
the caterpillar
utvecklas
to develop (intransitive)
kokongen
the cocoon
Questions & Answers about Ju mer larven äter, desto snabbare utvecklas den inuti kokongen.
Why does the word order switch from larven äter in the first half to utvecklas den in the second half?
This happens because of how the ju ..., desto ... (the [more] ..., the [more] ...) structure works. The ju part acts as a subordinate clause, so it keeps the standard subject-verb word order (larven äter). The desto part is the main clause. Since the phrase desto snabbare takes up the first position in that main clause, the V2 (verb-second) rule kicks in, forcing the verb to come right before the subject (utvecklas den).
Is the verb utvecklas in the passive voice here?
It has the passive -s ending, but it doesn't really carry a passive meaning here. Instead, it acts as a middle voice (or deponent-like) verb simply meaning "develops". In Swedish, the -s form is very commonly used for natural or biological processes where an action is happening to the subject without a specific outside agent causing it. You could alternatively say den utvecklar sig, but utvecklas is the most natural choice.
Could I just say i kokongen instead of inuti kokongen?
Yes, i would be grammatically correct and perfectly understood. However, inuti specifically emphasizes being completely enclosed within a space. It's the perfect preposition here to paint a vivid picture of the caterpillar being sealed away inside its cocoon.
Can I use dess instead of desto in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely! The construction ju ..., dess ... is entirely synonymous with ju ..., desto ..., so saying dess snabbare utvecklas den is also perfectly correct. Desto is just slightly more common in modern, everyday Swedish.
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