Ch 16 · Lesson 9Esperanto · Chapter 16 · Lesson 9 · Grammar primer
Ju ... des and jen ... jen: words in pairs
, : both halves, one each, with a comma. , swings between two states.
The short version
, .
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The correlated comparison needs both halves, a comparative in each and a comma between: , . Two errors, both imported rather than invented. French and Spanish speakers write ... on the model of plus ... plus, and the second clause then never announces itself as the consequence. English speakers hunt for a to translate the, which is an Old English case fossil with no Esperanto equivalent. may stand alone; never may.
, .
Why?Hide
Alone, presents something: , here is the book. Doubled, it alternates: , , one minute he laughs, the next he cries. Its neighbour is , ever more, a neater way to say : . Like ... , ... only alternates with both pieces in place.
ju ... des: both halves
The more ..., the more ... is in the first half and in the second, each followed by or , with a comma between:
, .- The more I learn, the more I understand., .- The less you sleep, the more mistakes you make., .- The longer the road, the more tired the horse.
The halves need no verb: , . - The earlier, the better.
can stand alone, meaning all the more, after a reason already given. cannot:
, .- If you come, all the better.
jen ... jen, and ĉiam pli
On its own, presents something: . - Here is the book. Doubled, it swings between two states:
, .- One minute he laughs, the next he cries.
More and more is , or, more neatly, :
.- The days are getting longer and longer..- The days are getting ever longer.
Going further: ĉi: near, not a word for this and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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