Spanish Conversation · Level 18
90 words
Spanish word
cuanto
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈkwanto/
Meaning
- conjunctionthe more
Example
Cuanto más estudias, mejor te va en el examen.
The more you study, the better you do on the exam.
More examples
Cuanto más practicas, más fácil te resulta hablar en público.
The more you practice, the easier it is to speak in front of an audience.
Core concept
Two coordinated clauses connected by a double-headed arrow indicating proportional change.
Common phrases
cuanto más ... , más ...
the more ... , the more ...
cuanto menos ... , menos ...
the less ... , the less ...
Similar words
cuanto más: As one factor increases, the corresponding outcome increases proportionally.
a medida que: As time or a process progresses, changes occur gradually in stages.
conforme: As something advances, corresponding changes or effects appear in tandem.
Definition in Spanish
Introduce relaciones comparativas o de alcance entre cláusulas, frecuente en estructuras correlativas del tipo «cuanto más..., más...».
Word origin
From Latin quantus 'how much', originally an interrogative, cuanto now functions as a conjunction that signals proportional degree or scope between clauses.
Usage tips
- In the correlative pattern both clauses normally contain más or menos, inserting que between the correlative parts is incorrect, and the interrogative cuánto keeps an accent and is a different word.