колку ... толку

The More the More

Level 4Sounds Like kolku ... tolku

Колку ..., толку ... = the more ..., the more ...: Колку повеќе учиш, толку подобро зборуваш. (The more you study, the better you speak.)

How It Works

The pattern. Колку + comparative + clause, толку + comparative + clause:

  • Колку повеќе учиш, толку подобро зборуваш. (The more you study, the better you speak.)
  • Колку повеќе читам, толку помалку разбирам. (The more I read, the less I understand.)
  • Колку е постар, толку е помудар. (The older he is, the wiser he is.)

Comparatives. Use по- forms, and the special forms повеќе and помалку for amounts. Do not write повеќе добро: the comparative of добро is подобро. See comparing things and comparing amounts.

Keep толку. The second half needs толку. Without it, the link between the two changes is lost.

Short sayings. Both halves can drop the verb: Колку побрзо, толку подобро. Колку повеќе, толку подобро. (The more, the better.)

Equal amounts. Without comparatives, колку ... толку means "as much as": Колку имам, толку ти давам. (I give you as much as I have.) For "no matter how much", see колку и да.

Examples (5)

  1. Колку повеќе учиш, толку подобро зборуваш.

    The more you study, the better you speak.

    Word by Word: How-much more you-study, that-much better you-speak.

  2. Колку побрзо, толку подобро.

    The sooner, the better.

    Word by Word: How-much sooner, that-much better.

  3. Колку повеќе читам, толку помалку разбирам.

    The more I read, the less I understand.

    Word by Word: How-much more I-read, that-much less I-understand.

  4. Колку е постар, толку е помудар.

    The older he is, the wiser he is.

    Word by Word: How-much is older, that-much is wiser.

  5. Колку имам, толку ти давам.

    I give you as much as I have.

    Word by Word: How-much I-have, that-much to-you I-give.

    Without comparatives, the pattern means "as much as".

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out толку in the second half.

    Колку повеќе учиш, подобро зборуваш.
    Колку повеќе учиш, толку подобро зборуваш.

    Колку needs толку to answer it. Put толку at the start of the second half.

  • Using повеќе with добро instead of the comparative подобро.

    Колку повеќе вежбаш, толку повеќе добро играш.
    Колку повеќе вежбаш, толку подобро играш.

    Добро has its own comparative, подобро. Use повеќе only for "more" of an amount.

How It Connects

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

колку ... толкуLevel 4The More the More

Learn This First

The more the more follows што + comparative.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

толку