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〜ば〜ほど

the more …, the more

ば-form + same word + ほど

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ば〜ほど says two things rise together: 考えれば考えるほど、わからなくなる, "the more I think about it, the less I understand".

Say the same word twice: first in the ば-form, then in the dictionary form with ほど. It works with verbs (使えば使うほど), い-adjectives (早ければ早いほどいい, "the sooner the better") and な-adjectives (静かなら静かなほど).

The first half is often dropped in speech, leaving just the ほど part: 練習するほど上手になる means the same as 練習すれば練習するほど.

It's close to につれて, but more about proportion than gradual change over time. Think of it as a sliding scale: turn one dial up and the other follows.

Examples

  • 考かんがえれば考かんがえるほど、わからなくなる。

    The more I think about it, the less I understand.

  • 日本語にほんごは使つかえば使つかうほど上手じょうずになる。

    The more you use Japanese, the better you get.

  • 野菜やさいは新あたらしければ新あたらしいほどおいしい。

    The fresher vegetables are, the better they taste.

  • 早はやければ早はやいほどいい。

    The sooner, the better.

  • この本ほんは読よめば読よむほど面白おもしろくなる。

    The more you read this book, the more interesting it gets.

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