Breakdown of Je älter der Mann ist, desto geduldiger wird er.
sein
to be
der Mann
the man
er
he
alt
old
werden
to become / to get (change of state)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
je
the (in proportional comparisons)
desto
the (second part of proportional comparisons)
geduldig
patient
Questions & Answers about Je älter der Mann ist, desto geduldiger wird er.
Why is the verb at the end in the first half, but right after the adjective in the second half?
The je part is a subordinate clause, which pushes its verb (ist) to the very end. The desto part is a main clause. Since the phrase desto geduldiger fills the first position of this clause, the verb (wird) must take the second position, immediately followed by the subject (er).
Could I use umso instead of desto in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely. In German, desto and umso are completely interchangeable in this grammar structure. You could write ... umso geduldiger wird er and it would mean exactly the same thing.
Why does älter have an umlaut but geduldiger does not?
To form a comparative, German adds -er to the adjective. For many short, one-syllable adjectives like alt (old), you also have to add an umlaut, making it älter. Longer adjectives like geduldig (patient) just take the -er ending without an umlaut to become geduldiger.
Why does the second part use wird instead of ist?
The verb werden (here as wird) means to become or to get. Using wird emphasizes the ongoing process: he is becoming more patient as a result of getting older. If you used ist, it would state a static fact rather than a changing process.
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