GRAMMAR DETAIL
ば〜ほど
Indicates that the degree of one thing changes in proportion to the degree of another.
Examples
この曲は聞けば聞くほど好きになる。
The more I listen to this song, the more I like it.
Words used
読めば読むほど、この本が好きになる。
The more I read this book, the more I like it.
Words used
Study notes
1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning
- Structure: Combine a word's ba-form with a repeated form and
ほどto express a change in one degree as another increases. - Basic usage:
この曲は聞けば聞くほど好きになる。means that liking for the song grows with repeated listening.
2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions
- Inflecting the repeated word
- For verbs, use
読めば読むほど, and for i-adjectives,安ければ安いほど, placing only the first occurrence in the ba-form. Na-adjectives can useであればあるほど, as in便利であればあるほど.
- For verbs, use