"As …" and "the more …, the more …": two things changing together
につれて is the "as" of "as time went by": one thing changes little by little, and a second changes along with it. It is the one to start with. にしたがって, とともに and に伴って say the same "as" more formally, and each also has a use of its own. ば～ほど is "the more …, the more …", where no time has to pass.
| Form | What it says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| につれて | "As": two things change together, little by little | Conversation, essays, news |
| ば～ほど | "The more …, the more …" | Everyday, spoken and written |
| にしたがって | "As", a little formal; also "following" a rule | Reports, textbooks, news |
| とともに | "As", stiff; also "together with" a person | News, reports, speeches |
| に伴って | "As", the most formal; also "with" or "due to" one event | Notices, business email, news |
につれて: as
Full pageにつれてN3
につれて is neutral in tone: people say it as well as write it, and in writing it is also につれ. Before it comes a change that takes time: 時間がたつ (time passes), 年を取る (get older), 慣れる (get used to something). After it comes another gradual change, often with なる, てくる or ていく.
As time went by, I grew more and more anxious.
As I've gotten older, I've lost stamina.
"More and more", for a change that keeps going: だんだん is little by little, どんどん is fast, and ますます is more than it already was.
The rain has been getting heavier and heavier.
ば～ほど: the more …, the more …
Full pageば～ほどN3
ば～ほど repeats a word, once with ば and once with ほど. As one thing increases, a second rises or falls with it.
This novel gets more interesting the more you read it.
The more I think about it, the less I understand.
The repeated word can be an adjective as well as a verb, and two phrases are worth learning whole.
早ければ早いほどいいthe sooner the better
The sooner you reply, the better.
多ければ多いほどいいthe more the better
The more people we have helping, the better.
The ば half is often left out.
The more you practice, the better you get.
In full.
The more you practice, the better you get.
Short. It means the same.
ほど・くらいN3
ほど as a measure of how much, with nothing changing together: "so … that", "not as … as".
I was so nervous that my voice was trembling.
につれて or ば～ほど?
につれて is for a change that happens over time. ば～ほど states how two things go together, and no time has to pass.
As we got farther from the station, there were fewer shops.
It happened over time, as we moved away from the station.
The closer to the station, the higher the rent.
A fact about rents. No time passes, and 近い is an adjective, which につれて can't follow.
Where it goes wrong
English "as" also means "just when". につれて doesn't: what comes before it has to take time.
Not said: 駅に
(As I got to the station, it started to rain.)
Arriving is one moment, so it is 駅に着いたとき. Getting closer takes time: 駅に近づくにつれて、人が増えてきた.
English puts the "as" half in the past too: "as I got used to it". The verb before につれて, にしたがって or とともに stays in the dictionary form, and the end of the sentence shows the past.
As I got used to Japanese, I looked at the subtitles less often.
慣れる, not 慣れた.
にしたがって: as, a little more formally
Full pageにしたがってN2
After a word for a change, にしたがって means what につれて means; you meet it in reports, textbooks and the news. After an instruction or a rule it is "following", and that is the meaning you mostly hear aloud, from station staff and cabin crew.
As you go farther north, the temperature drops.
Please follow the arrows.
"Following", usually written に従って.
とともに: as, in news and reports
Full pageとともにN3
After a word for a gradual change, とともに means what につれて means, and is stiff. Even so, people say 年とともに (with age) and 時代とともに (with the times) in ordinary talk. After a person it is "together with", which in conversation is と一緒に.
As the population ages, social security costs are rising too.
Language changes with the times.
He moved to Hokkaido with his family.
"Together with".
に伴って: as, in notices and business email
Full pageに伴って・
に伴って says that one development brings another with it. It is the most formal of the four words for "as", the one in notices from companies, stations and city offices. In documents it is often に伴い.
As the population grows, demand for housing is rising too.
に伴って can also follow a single event, which につれて and にしたがって can't. English says "with" or "due to", and conversation says ので or で: 工事で, "because of the building work".
With building work starting, the main entrance will be closed from next month.
Other things "as" can mean
と同時にN3
"Just as": one moment, not a gradual change.
It started to rain just as the train pulled into the station.