Breakdown of Naarmate je meer leert, word je verstandiger.
leren
to learn
worden
to become
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
meer
more
naarmate
as / in proportion as (gradual change)
verstandig
sensible
Questions & Answers about Naarmate je meer leert, word je verstandiger.
How does naarmate affect the word order in the first part of the sentence?
Naarmate (meaning "as" or "in proportion to") is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a subordinate clause and kicks the conjugated verb (leert) all the way to the end of that clause.
Could I use terwijl instead of naarmate here, since both can mean "as"?
No, because they express different types of "as". Terwijl means "while" (two independent things happening at the same time). Naarmate specifically describes proportion or a parallel increase. Because the sentence expresses a gradual progression where one thing causes the other to increase, naarmate is the exact word you need.
Why is the second half word je instead of je wordt?
This happens because of the Dutch verb-second (V2) rule. The entire first clause (Naarmate je meer leert) occupies the first position of the main sentence. To keep the main verb in the second position, the verb (word) must come immediately after the comma, forcing the subject (je) to go after it.
Wait, shouldn't it be wordt je with a -t at the end of the verb?
Normally, the jij/je form does get a -t (like je leert). However, Dutch has a strict spelling rule: when je or jij is the subject and it comes directly after the verb, the -t is dropped. That is why je wordt changes to word je.
Why is it verstandiger instead of meer verstandig?
To say "more [adjective]", Dutch almost always adds the suffix -er to the base word. While English switches to using "more" for longer words like "sensible" ("more sensible"), Dutch simply uses the suffix regardless of the word's length, giving us verstandiger.
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