des te

The (With Comparative)

Level 3

Use des te followed by a comparative adjective (like beter or sneller) to show a proportional result. It is the formal counterpart to the second 'hoe' in a 'hoe... hoe...' construction.

How It Works

The expression des te is a fossilized case relic from older stages of Dutch. In modern Dutch, it functions as a correlative marker to indicate a proportional relationship.

1. The Proportional Construction
It most commonly follows a clause starting with hoe or naarmate. While the pairing hoe... des te... is the standard formal choice, you may occasionally see des te... des te..., though this is often discouraged as being overly heavy.
Example: Hoe sneller we gaan, des te eerder zijn we er. (The faster we go, the sooner we are there.)

2. Mandatory Comparative
A crucial rule is that des te must always be followed by a comparative form of an adjective or adverb (e.g., beter, hoger, sneller). Using the base form (e.g., des te goed) is grammatically incorrect.

3. Word Order and Inversion
While the 'hoe' clause always uses subordinate word order, the des te clause typically uses V2 inversion in formal Dutch. Although subordinate order is sometimes seen, placing the verb immediately after the comparative phrase is the traditional and most common standard.
Example: Hoe groter de vraag, des te hoger is de prijs.

4. Short Phrases
In short, elliptical phrases without a verb (e.g., "The sooner, the better"), the pairing hoe... hoe... is significantly more common and natural. Using des te in these instances (e.g., Hoe eerder, des te beter) can feel unnecessarily clunky or formal.

5. Standalone Usage
It can also be used without a preceding 'hoe' clause to mean 'all the more'.
Example: Dat is des te opmerkelijker. (That is all the more remarkable.)

6. Formality
Using des te helps you become proficient in academic, professional, or literary Dutch, whereas hoe... hoe... is the standard choice for casual conversation.

Examples (4)

  1. Hoe langer de reis duurde, des te vermoeider we raakten.

    The longer the journey lasted, the more tired we became.

    Word by Word: How longer the journey lasted, the the more tired we became.

    This shows the standard formal pairing of 'hoe' with 'des te', followed by the comparative 'vermoeider'.

  2. Hoe langer je wacht, des te moeilijker wordt het.

    The longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes.

    Word by Word: How longer you wait, the the more difficult becomes it.

    Note the inversion: the verb 'wordt' comes immediately after the 'des te' phrase, which is the preferred word order in formal Dutch.

  3. Dat is des te beter voor ons.

    That is all the better for us.

    Word by Word: That is the the better for us.

    Here, 'des te' is used independently to emphasize that the result is even better than expected.

  4. Naarmate de dag vorderde, werd het des te warmer.

    As the day progressed, it became all the warmer.

    Word by Word: As the day progressed, became it the the warmer.

    'Naarmate' is a formal way to say 'as' or 'in proportion to', which pairs perfectly with 'des te'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'te' (too) instead of 'des te' with a comparative.

    Hoe groter, te beter.
    Hoe groter, des te beter.

    'Te' means 'too' (excessive). For 'the more... the more...', you must use the full phrase 'des te'.

  • Using 'des te' for a simple gradual change.

    Different MeaningHet wordt des te kouder.
    Het wordt steeds kouder.

    Het wordt des te kouder is grammatical, but it needs a reason before it, as in Hoe later het wordt, des te kouder het wordt. For a simple gradual change like getting colder and colder, use steeds.

How It Connects

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

des teLevel 3The (With Comparative)

Learn This First

To use 'des te', you must first understand how to form comparative adjectives (like 'beter' or 'meer'). You also need to be familiar with the standard 'hoe... hoe' construction, as 'des te' serves as a formal replacement for the second 'hoe'. Finally, knowledge of subordinate clause word order is necessary because the first clause in this correlative pair requires the verb to be placed at the end.

Words in This Pattern

des tedes