～ば～ほど
the more … the more
～ば～ほど ties two changes together: as one thing goes up, the other goes up (or down) with it. You say the same verb or adjective twice — first in the ば-form, then in its plain form — and attach ほど.
It maps directly onto the English pattern “the more ..., the more ...” (“the cheaper, the better”, “the more I think, the less I understand”).
1. With verbs
Repeat the verb as ば-form + dictionary form + ほど. The rest of the sentence states what scales along with it.
練習すればするほど上手になる。
“The more you practice, the better you get.”
- 練習すれば（れんしゅうすれば）= if you practice (ば-form)
- するほど = the more you do it
- 上手（じょうず）= good at, skilled
- に = particle marking the result of a change
- なる = to become
2. With adjectives
い-adjectives repeat as ～ければ + plain adjective + ほど.
安ければ安いほどいい。
“The cheaper, the better.”
- 安ければ（やすければ）= if it is cheap (ば-form)
- 安いほど（やすいほど）= to the extent that it is cheap
- いい = good
How to form it
Verb ば-form + dictionary form + ほど / い-adjective ～ければ + plain form + ほど (な-adjectives commonly use ～であればあるほど)
- 練習する（れんしゅうする）= to practice → 練習すればするほど（れんしゅうすればするほど）= the more you practice
- 読む（よむ）= to read → 読めば読むほど（よめばよむほど）= the more you read
- 安い（やすい）= cheap → 安ければ安いほど（やすければやすいほど）= the cheaper it is
Key idea
～ば～ほど expresses a proportional relationship: as one thing changes, another changes along with it. The greater the degree of A, the greater (or smaller) the degree of B.
Other N3 grammar
Updated .