The more, the better: όσο πιο, τόσο πιο, ο πιο, -τατος
"The more … the more" is, in Greek, the pair όσο … τόσο: Όσο πιο πολύ προπονείσαι, τόσο πιο γρήγορα τρέχεις. Both halves are obligatory, and the order is fixed: first όσο, then τόσο. For example: “Όσο πιο πολύ προπονείσαι, τόσο πιο γρήγορα τρέχεις” — The more you train, the faster you run. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
"The more … the more" is, in Greek, the pair όσο (óso) … τόσο (tóso): Όσο πιο πολύ προπονείσαι (óso pio polí proponíse), τόσο πιο γρήγορα τρέχεις (tóso pio grígora trékhis). Both halves are obligatory, and the order is fixed: first όσο, then τόσο.
Between όσο or τόσο and the word a πιο (pio) is usually inserted: όσο πιο νωρίς (óso pio norís), τόσο πιο καλά (tóso pio kalá). But if the degree is irregular, πιο is unnecessary — the form is already comparative: Όσο περνάει ο καιρός (óso pernái o kerós), τόσο καλύτερα νιώθω (tóso kalítera niótho).
The comparative itself is made in two ways, equal in meaning: πιο δυνατός (pio dinatós) and δυνατότερος. The second is more bookish and commoner in print. The one compared with is introduced by από (apó): πιο δυνατός από τον αδερφό του.
The superlative is the same comparative with the article: ο πιο δυνατός παίκτης (o pio dinatós péktis), ο δυνατότερος παίκτης. The article is the entire difference: without it "stronger", with it "the strongest" — exactly like English, where only the "the" separates stronger from the strongest.
The form in -τατος is not a superlative, though it looks like one. It is absolute: ωραιότατος means not "the most beautiful" but "beautiful in the extreme, very beautiful", and compares with no one. Its conversational double is πάρα πολύ (pára polí): πάρα πολύ ωραίος and ωραιότατος are the same thing.
The irregular degrees are easiest to memorize as a list: καλός (kalós) → καλύτερος (kalíteros) → ο καλύτερος (o kalíteros), κακός (kakós) → χειρότερος, μεγάλος (megálos) → μεγαλύτερος (megalíteros), μικρός (mikrós) → μικρότερος, πολύς → περισσότερος.
Table
| the degree | in Greek | what it means |
|---|---|---|
| comparative | πιο δυνατός, δυνατότερος | stronger |
| the more ... the more | όσο πιο ... τόσο πιο ... | the bigger, the bigger |
| superlative | ο πιο δυνατός, ο δυνατότερος | the strongest |
| absolute | πάρα πολύ δυνατός | very strong |
| absolute in -τατος | δυνατότατος | strong in the extreme, not "the" strongest |
| irregular | καλός, καλύτερος, ο καλύτερος | good, better, best |
By example
- Όσο πιο πολύ προπονείσαι, τόσο πιο γρήγορα τρέχειςóso pio polí proponíse, tóso pio grígora trékhisThe more you train, the faster you run
- Είναι ο πιο δυνατός παίκτης της ομάδαςíne o pio dinatós péktis tis omádasHe is the strongest player of the team
- Η παράσταση ήταν ωραιότατη, αλλά όχι η καλύτερη της χρονιάςi parástasi ítan oreótati, alá ókhi i kalíteri tis khroniásThe performance was most beautiful, but not the best of the year
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The more, the better: how does it work in Greek?
"The more … the more" is, in Greek, the pair όσο … τόσο: Όσο πιο πολύ προπονείσαι, τόσο πιο γρήγορα τρέχεις. Both halves are obligatory, and the order is fixed: first όσο, then τόσο.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Όσο πιο πολύ προπονείσαι, τόσο πιο γρήγορα τρέχεις” (óso pio polí proponíse, tóso pio grígora trékhis) — The more you train, the faster you run. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.