hoe ... hoe

The More ..., The More

Level 3

Hoe + comparative ... hoe + comparative means the more ..., the more: Hoe meer jy oefen, hoe beter word jy. (The more you practise, the better you get.)

How It Works

1. The pattern. Both halves start with hoe + a comparative (see comparative -er):

  • Hoe meer jy oefen, hoe beter word jy. (The more you practise, the better you get.)
  • Hoe ouer ek word, hoe minder slaap ek. (The older I get, the less I sleep.)

2. Word order in each half. The first half works like a subordinate clause, so its verb goes to the end. The second half is the main clause: the verb comes right after hoe + comparative, and then the subject (see verb second).

3. Short form. Without verbs, the pattern makes a short saying: Hoe gouer, hoe beter. (The sooner, the better.)

4. Al hoe: more and more. Al hoe + comparative shows something growing step by step: Dit word al hoe kouer. (It is getting colder and colder.)

5. Irregular comparatives work too. Words such as beter, meer and minder fit the pattern (see irregular comparisons).

Tip: Formal writing sometimes uses des te in the second half: Hoe meer ek lees, des te meer wil ek weet.

Examples (6)

  1. Hoe meer jy oefen, hoe beter word jy.

    The more you practise, the better you get.

    Word by Word: How more you practise, how better become you.

    The first half has oefen at the end; the second half puts word before jy.

  2. Hoe gouer, hoe beter.

    The sooner, the better.

    Word by Word: How sooner, how better.

  3. Hoe ouer ek word, hoe minder slaap ek.

    The older I get, the less I sleep.

    Word by Word: How older I become, how less sleep I.

  4. Hoe langer ons wag, hoe duurder word die kaartjies.

    The longer we wait, the more expensive the tickets get.

    Word by Word: How longer we wait, how dearer become the tickets.

  5. Dit word al hoe kouer.

    It is getting colder and colder.

    Word by Word: It becomes all how colder.

    Al hoe + comparative shows a steady change.

  6. Sy praat al hoe beter Afrikaans.

    Her Afrikaans is getting better and better.

    Word by Word: She speaks all how better Afrikaans.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the subject first in the second half.

    Hoe meer jy oefen, hoe beter jy word.
    Hoe meer jy oefen, hoe beter word jy.

    The second half is the main clause, so the verb comes straight after hoe beter and the subject follows it.

  • Using die for the English the.

    Die meer jy oefen, die beter word jy.
    Hoe meer jy oefen, hoe beter word jy.

    English says the more ..., the better. Afrikaans uses hoe in both halves, never die.

  • Using al hoe meer with a short adjective.

    Dit word al hoe meer koud.
    Dit word al hoe kouer.

    A short adjective like koud takes -er, so al hoe goes with kouer.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

hoe ... hoeLevel 3The More ..., The More

Learn This First

The paired comparatives combine subordinate order in the first half with inversion in the second.

Words in This Pattern

hoe