〜ば…ほど

Meaning

This pattern expresses a proportional relationship between two things: as the degree or extent of one thing increases, another thing also increases accordingly. It shows cause-and-effect or correlation in degree changes. The pattern pairs a conditional clause with a comparative phrase to emphasize the correlative relationship.

Formation

Examples

1. 運動すればするほど、体が丈夫になります。
   The more you exercise, the stronger your body becomes.

2. お客さんは多ければ多いほど良い。
   The more customers there are, the better it is.

3. お祭りは、賑やかなら賑やかなほど楽しいです。
   The more lively and bustling the festival is, the more enjoyable it becomes.

Summary

• Forms a proportional relationship between two comparable situations or qualities
• Uses conditional forms (ば/ければ/なら) followed by the same word plus ほど
• Commonly used to express that increasing one factor leads to proportional increases in another factor