Breakdown of Je älter wir werden, umso geduldiger sind wir.
sein
to be
wir
we
alt
old
werden
to become / to get (change of state)
je
the (in proportional comparisons)
umso
the (alternative second part)
geduldig
patient
Questions & Answers about Je älter wir werden, umso geduldiger sind wir.
Why is the verb at the very end in the first half of the sentence, but not in the second?
The first half with je acts as a subordinate clause, which pushes the conjugated verb (werden) to the very end. The second half with umso is the main clause. Because the phrase umso geduldiger takes up the first position in this main clause, the verb (sind) must come right after it in the second position.
The lesson mentions je ... desto, but this sentence uses umso. Is there a difference?
No, there is no difference in meaning. umso and desto are completely interchangeable here. You can say je älter ..., umso geduldiger ... or je älter ..., desto geduldiger ... to mean the exact same thing.
How are the comparative forms built here?
Similar to adding "-er" in English, German adds -er to the adjective. geduldig (patient) becomes geduldiger (more patient). For short, one-syllable adjectives with an a, o, or u like alt (old), it usually gets an umlaut too, becoming älter (older).
Why does the German sentence use werden instead of a word that sounds more like "become"?
This is a classic false friend! werden is the German verb for "to become" or "to get" (as in getting older). The German verb bekommen sounds like "become", but it actually means "to receive" or "to get a thing".
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