You need this whenever two things move together: the later you book, the more you pay; the harder the headwind, the slower you get home. It turns up in advice from your GP, in the news and in emails from de gemeente.
The pattern
Each half starts with hoe plus a comparative (the -er form, like groter, bigger) and sends its verb to the end. If the second half starts with des te instead, its verb comes right after the comparative.
- First half: hoe + comparative + subject + rest + verb: hoe later je boekt
- Second half with hoe: the same order: hoe duurder het wordt
- Second half with des te: comparative, verb, subject: des te duurder wordt het
- A noun that belongs to the comparative stays glued to it: hoe meer mensen, hoe minder suiker
- A comma separates the two halves.
- In short sayings the verbs often disappear: hoe groter, hoe beter
If the -er forms still feel shaky, revisit comparatives and goed, beter, best.
Examples
| Hoe meer je oefent, hoe beter je wordt. | The more you practise, the better you get. |
| Hoe later je boekt, hoe duurder de vlucht meestal wordt. | The later you book, the more expensive the flight usually gets. |
| Hoe harder het waait, hoe langzamer ik naar huis fiets. | The harder the wind blows, the slower I cycle home. |
| Hoe minder suiker Daan eet, hoe beter hij slaapt. | The less sugar Daan eats, the better he sleeps. |
| Hoe meer mensen er komen, hoe gezelliger het wordt. | The more people come, the more fun it gets. |
| Hoe langer Priya in Utrecht woont, des te beter begrijpt ze de Nederlandse humor. | The longer Priya lives in Utrecht, the better she understands Dutch humour. |
| Hoe sneller u het formulier terugstuurt, des te eerder kunnen wij uw aanvraag behandelen. | The sooner you return the form, the sooner we can process your application. |
| Wanneer wil je het rapport hebben? Hoe eerder, hoe beter. | When do you want the report? The sooner, the better. |
| Neem je zus gerust mee: hoe meer zielen, hoe meer vreugd! | Feel free to bring your sister: the more the merrier! |
Why it works this way
The first half is a subordinate clause: a side clause that leans on the other half and cannot stand alone. Hoe opens it the way omdat or als would, so the verb goes to the end, just as in Weet jij hoe laat de trein vertrekt? (see subordinate clauses). The second hoe simply mirrors the first: same word, same order.
Des te behaves like daarom from the previous lesson. Des te plus its comparative fills the first place of a main clause, so the verb follows at once and the subject comes after it: des te beter word je is built exactly like daarom word je beter. The first half keeps its verb at the end either way.
Hoe ... hoe is the everyday choice. Des te sounds a little more formal and is common in news, reports and work emails. On its own, Des te beter! means "all the better". If you speak German, the word order is the same as with "je ... desto".
Hoe eerder, hoe beter (the sooner, the better) is a fixed phrase that works as a complete reply. Likewise, hoe meer zielen, hoe meer vreugd is the Dutch "the more the merrier"; keep vreugd without a final -e in this saying.
Remember: hoe sends the verb to the back of the clause, des te pulls it forward, right behind the comparative.
Watch out
NotDe meer je oefent, de beter je wordt.
SayHoe meer je oefent, hoe beter je wordt.
English "the" becomes hoe here
NotHoe meer oefen je, hoe beter je wordt.
SayHoe meer je oefent, hoe beter je wordt.
the first half is a subordinate clause, so the verb goes to the end
NotHoe meer je oefent, des te beter je wordt.
SayHoe meer je oefent, des te beter word je.
after des te plus comparative, the verb comes next
NotHoe later je boekt, hoe meer duur de vlucht wordt.
SayHoe later je boekt, hoe duurder de vlucht wordt.
duur simply takes -er
Quick check
- Fill in the comparative of goed: Hoe vaker je fietst, hoe ... je conditie wordt.
- Fix the sentence: Hoe langer duurt de vergadering, hoe minder ik onthoud.
- Choose: Hoe drukker het op de snelweg is, des te later (Joris thuiskomt / komt Joris thuis).
- Fill in hoe or des te: Hoe meer Yara verdient, ... meer ze uitgeeft.
Show the answers
- beter (the comparative of goed is irregular)
- Hoe langer de vergadering duurt, hoe minder ik onthoud. (the first half sends the verb to the end)
- komt Joris thuis (after des te the verb follows the comparative, and thuiskomen splits in a main clause)
- hoe (the verb uitgeeft is at the end; with des te it would be geeft ze uit)
Use it today
Next time you cycle against the wind or queue at the supermarket, make up two sentences about it: one with hoe ... hoe and one with des te, such as Hoe harder het regent, hoe natter ik word. And when you ask a colleague for something, add hoe eerder, hoe beter.