því + Comparative
The More ..., The More
Því meira sem ég læri, því meira skil ég. (The more I learn, the more I understand.)
How It Works
The two parts.
- First: því + comparative + sem + subject + verb: Því meira sem ég læri,
- Second: því + comparative + verb + subject: því meira skil ég.
More examples:
- Því eldri sem hann verður, því rólegri verður hann. (The older he gets, the calmer he gets.)
- Því lengur sem við bíðum, því verra verður það. (The longer we wait, the worse it gets.)
- Því meira sem hún æfir sig, því betur syngur hún. (The more she practises, the better she sings.)
The short form. In fixed sayings both parts are just því + comparative: Því fyrr, því betra. (The sooner, the better.) Því fleiri, því betra. (The more, the merrier.)
What is því? því is the dative of það. It measures how much, like the dative in tveimur árum eldri (two years older). The comparative can be an adjective, which agrees as usual (comparative), or an adverb such as betur or lengur (comparative adverbs): Því stærri sem borgin er, því dýrari er hún. (The bigger the city is, the more expensive it is.)
Another second part. Instead of the second því, you can use þeim mun: Því meira sem ég læri, þeim mun meira skil ég.
Examples (5)
- Því meira sem ég læri, því meira skil ég.
The more I learn, the more I understand.
Word by Word: The more that I learn, the more understand I.
- Því fyrr, því betra.
The sooner, the better.
Word by Word: The sooner, the better.
- Því eldri sem hann verður, því rólegri verður hann.
The older he gets, the calmer he gets.
Word by Word: The older that he becomes, the calmer becomes he.
- Því lengur sem við bíðum, því verra verður það.
The longer we wait, the worse it gets.
Word by Word: The longer that we wait, the worse becomes it.
- Því meira sem hún æfir sig, því betur syngur hún.
The more she practises, the better she sings.
Word by Word: The more that she practises herself, the better sings she.
betur is the comparative adverb, because it describes how she sings.
Common Mistakes
Keeping the subject before the verb in the second part.
Því meira sem ég læri, því meira ég skil.Því meira sem ég læri, því meira skil ég.The second part is the main sentence. því meira is its first part, so the verb skil comes next and the subject ég follows it.
Leaving out sem in the first part.
Því meira ég læri, því meira skil ég.Því meira sem ég læri, því meira skil ég.The first part is a sem-clause: því + comparative + sem + subject + verb.
How It Connects
Learn This First
því + comparative builds on miklu.
Related Patterns
- Comparing: -ari and -ri
Both parts use a comparative adjective or adverb.
Level 2 - Better, More and Most
Adverbs like betur, lengur and meira often fill the pattern.
Level 4 - Irregular Comparison
Many common comparatives are irregular: betra, verra, fleiri.
Level 2 - The Verb Comes Second
The second part puts the verb right after því + comparative.
Level 1 - Relative Clauses With sem
The first part is a sem-clause.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice því + Comparative in Bubblegum
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