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adverbconjunction

desto

the

Används för att visa att något ändras i jämförelse med något annat, till exempel att mer av en sak ger mer av en annan.

Desto is a Swedish adverb often used in comparative structures. It roughly translates to "the" or "by that much" in English and is commonly paired with ju to form the correlative phrase ju ... desto.

Explanation:

  • desto typically appears after a comparative adjective or adverb and emphasizes a result or consequence corresponding to the first part of the comparison.
  • It can be thought of as meaning "the (more)... the (more)" or "all the (more)".

Usage:

  • The structure ju ... desto is equivalent to "the ... the ..." or "the more ... the more ..." in English.

    Example:

    • Ju mer jag lär mig, desto bättre blir jag.
      "The more I learn, the better I become."

Similar Words:

  • Så mycket desto — can sometimes be used similarly but is less common.
  • *Än — sometimes used for comparisons but does not serve the same correlative function as "desto".

Summary

  • desto is mainly used in comparative expressions.
  • It always appears in connection with ju to express proportional relationships or correlations like "the more... the more...".
  • Alone, "desto" often emphasizes the comparative degree of an adjective or adverb that precedes it.

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Examples

Ju mörkare det blir på kvällarna, desto snabbare går jag hem.adverb

The darker it gets in the evenings, the faster I go home.

Ju oftare vi tränar, desto starkare blir vi.adverb

The more often we train, the stronger we become.

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