Grammar JLPT Level N3 - Lesson 5

Structure of ば〜ほど:

STANDARD:

（Verb［ば］）+ Verb ［る］^(*) + ほど
（［い］Adjective［ば］）+ ［い］Adjective^(*) + ほど

（［な］Adjective + なら(ば)）+ ［な］Adjective^(*) + な + ほど
（［な］Adjective + であれば）+ である + ほど

（Noun + なら(ば)）+ Noun^(*) + ほど
（Noun + であれば）+ である + ほど

^(*) The same Adjective, Verb or Noun has to be repeated

Details about ば〜ほど:

ば～ほど is a combination of the conjunction particle ば, and the noun ほど. It is used in a similar way to 'the more ~ the more' in English. Literally, it just highlights that 'if it is (A), then the limit of (A) will be controlled only by its extent'.

To use ば～ほど, ば will be paired with the hypothetical form of any verb/い-Adjective (or noun/な-Adjective with なら on the end), before the same word will be repeated in its attributive form. After this, a (B) part of the sentence will highlight what the expected result of (A) is.

いい肉(にく)は噛(か)め____噛(か)むほど味(あじ)が出(で)る。
The more you chew good meat, the more flavorful it gets.
公園(こうえん)は広(ひろ)けれ____広(ひろ)いほどいい。
The bigger the park is, the better it is.
ビルは丈夫(じょうぶ)なら____丈夫(じょうぶ)なほど安心(あんしん)できる。
The stronger a building is, the safer you feel.
プロなら____プロほど速(はや)く泳(およ)げる。
The more of a pro you are, the faster you can swim.

As である (the formal version of だ) may replace な with な-Adjectives (or なら with nouns), sometimes である will be used instead of な/なら, in regard to both nouns and な-Adjectives.

アプリが便利(べんり)であれ____便利(べんり)であるほどユーザーが増(ふ)える。
The more useful an app is, the more users will increase.
職人(しょくにん)であれ____職人(しょくにん)であるほど凄(すご)いものが作(つく)れる。
The more of a craftsman a person is, the more likely that they will be able to make something amazing.

ば〜ほど

Usage Notes for ば〜ほど:

When this expression is used with する verbs, the noun that する is linked to in the ば part of the sentence does not need to be repeated in the ほど part.

漢字(かんじ)の勉強(べんきょう)をすればするほど色(いろ)んな本(ほん)が読(よ)めるようになる。
The more you study kanji, the more you will be able to read various books.
掃除(そうじ)をすればするほど、部屋(へや)が綺麗(きれい)になっていく。
The more you clean, the cleaner your room will get.