Grammar Info
N3 Lesson 2: 6/22

ば~程(ほど)
the more…the more

The conditional part of the structure is sometimes omitted. この豆を食べれば食べるほど痩せるらしい。→ この豆を食べるほど痩せるらしい。

Structure
Verb[)+ Verb [る](*) + ほど
[い]Adjective[)+ [い]Adjective(*) + ほど

[な]Adjective + なら(ば))+ [な]Adjective(*) + + ほど
[な]Adjective + であれば)+ である + ほど

(Noun + なら(ば))+ Noun(*) + ほど
(Noun + であれば)+ である + ほど

(*) The same Adjective
Verb or Noun has to be repeated
Details
Register Standard
使用域 一般
Information
ば~ほど is a combination of the 接続助詞(せつぞくじょし) (conjunction particle) , and the 名詞(めいし) (noun) ほど. It is used in a similar way to ‘the more ~ the more’ in English. Literally, it just highlights that ‘if it is (A), then the limit of (A) will be controlled only by its extent’.
To use ば~ほど, will be paired with the 仮定形(かていけい) (hypothetical form) of any verb/い-Adjective (or noun/な-Adjective with なら on the end), before the same word will be repeated in its 連体形(れんたいけい) (attributive form). After this, a (B) part of the sentence will highlight what the expected result of (A) is.
  • いい肉(にく)は噛(か)め噛(か)むほど味(あじ)出(で)る。
    The more you chew good meat, the more flavorful it gets.
  • 公園(こうえん)は広(ひろ)けれ広(ひろ)いほどいい
    The bigger the park is, the better it is.
  • ビルは丈夫(じょうぶ)なら丈夫(じょうぶ)なほど安心(あんしん)できる。
    The stronger a building is, the safer you feel.
  • プロならプロほど速(はや)く泳(およ)げる。
    The more of a pro you are, the faster you can swim.
As である (the formal version of ) may replace な with な-Adjectives (or なら with nouns), sometimes である will be used instead of な/なら, in regard to both nouns and な-Adjectives.
  • アプリ便利(べんり)であれ便利(べんり)であるほどユーザー増(ふ)える。
    The more useful an app is, the more users will increase.
  • 職人(しょくにん)であれ職人(しょくにん)であるほど凄(すご)いもの作(つく)れる。
    The more of a craftsman a person is, the more likely that they will be able to make something amazing.
Caution
When this expression is used with する verbs, the noun that する is linked to in the part of the sentence does not need to be repeated in the ほど part.
  • 漢字(かんじ)勉強(べんきょう)すれするほど色(いろ)んな本(ほん)読(よ)めるようになる
    The more you study kanji, the more you will be able to read various books.
  • 掃除(そうじ)すれするほど、部屋(へや)綺麗(きれい)になっていく
    The more you clean, the cleaner your room will get.
Fun Fact
Sometimes, the ‘hypothetical’ part of the sentence will be omitted altogether, leaving ほど to perform a similar function by itself.
  • 身体(からだ)鍛(きた)えるほど、身体(からだ)強(つよ)くなる。
    The more you workout, the stronger your body gets.
Slow Male
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この豆(まめ)を食(た)べれ食(た)べるほど痩(や)せるらしい。
I hear that the more of these beans you eat the thinner you will become.
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早(はや)けれ早(はや)いほどいい
The sooner the better.
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綺麗(きれい)ならば綺麗(きれい)ほど見(み)続(つづ)けたくなる
The more beautiful it is, the more I want to continue looking at it.
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Books
Tobira
Page 236
Tobira
Page 192
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 256
A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar
Page 6
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 54