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Introduction to Zweiteilige Konnektoren

In German, zweiteilige Konnektoren (two-part connectors) like je ... desto/umso are used to describe a proportional relationship between two actions or conditions. The structure je ... desto/umso translates to "the more ... the more" or "the more ... the less" in English.

Using je ... desto/umso

The structure je ... desto/umso works in two parts. je introduces the condition, while desto or umso introduces the resulting consequence. "Desto" and "umso" are interchangeable, and the word order requires the verb to come immediately after "je" and "desto/umso".

Je mehr du übst, desto besser wirst du. - The more you practice, the better you will become.

Je länger der Urlaub dauert, umso entspannter fühle ich mich. - The longer the vacation lasts, the more relaxed I feel.

Examples of je ... desto/umso in Sentences

1. Expressing Positive Proportions

When using je ... desto/umso to express positive proportions, it means that as one condition increases, so does the other.

Je mehr man spart, desto schneller kann man reisen. - The more you save, the faster you can travel.

Je kälter es wird, umso mehr Kleidung braucht man. - The colder it gets, the more clothes you need.

2. Expressing Negative Proportions

When using je ... desto/umso to express negative proportions, it means that as one condition increases, the other decreases.

Je weniger man schläft, desto schlechter fühlt man sich. - The less you sleep, the worse you feel.

Je mehr Zucker man isst, umso schlechter ist es für die Gesundheit. - The more sugar you eat, the worse it is for your health.

3. Comparing Actions and Feelings

This structure is also useful for comparing actions and the feelings that result from them.

Je länger ich arbeite, desto müder werde ich. - The longer I work, the more tired I get.

Je öfter ich Deutsch spreche, umso sicherer fühle ich mich. - The more I speak German, the more confident I feel.