Breakdown of Je älter man wird, desto weiser ist man.
sein
to be
alt
old
werden
to become / to get (change of state)
man
one / you (impersonal)
je
the (in proportional comparisons)
desto
the (second part of proportional comparisons)
weise
wise
Questions & Answers about Je älter man wird, desto weiser ist man.
Why is the verb wird at the very end of the first half of the sentence?
The phrase starting with je forms a subordinate clause (a dependent clause). In German, the conjugated verb in a subordinate clause is always pushed to the very end.
In the second half, why is the verb ist placed before the subject man?
The second half of the sentence, starting with desto, is a main clause. The comparative phrase desto weiser (the wiser) occupies the first position in this clause. Because German main clauses strictly require the conjugated verb in the second position, ist must come next, pushing the subject man to the third position.
Could I use umso instead of desto in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely! Desto and umso are completely interchangeable in these proportional comparisons. Saying Je älter man wird, umso weiser ist man is equally correct and means the exact same thing.
Why does älter get an umlaut in this sentence, but weiser does not?
Many short, one-syllable German adjectives that contain an 'a', 'o', or 'u' add an umlaut when they take their comparative form (so alt becomes älter). Weise doesn't fit this pattern, so it simply gets the standard -r ending to become weiser.
Is it okay to think of man as 'you' instead of 'one' here?
Yes! While man translates literally to 'one', English speakers much more commonly use 'you' for general statements like 'The older you get, the wiser you are'. In German, man is the perfect word to express this general, impersonal 'you'.
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