Word
Je erwachsener wir werden, desto ruhiger sind wir.
Meaning
The more grown-up we become, the quieter we are.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Je erwachsener wir werden, desto ruhiger sind wir.
sein
to be
wir
we
ruhig
quiet, calm
werden
to become / to get (change of state)
Questions & Answers about Je erwachsener wir werden, desto ruhiger sind wir.
Why is the verb werden at the end of the first clause, while sind comes early in the second?
The word je acts as a subordinating conjunction, which pushes the conjugated verb (werden) to the very end of its clause. The second part starting with desto is a main clause. Because the comparative phrase desto ruhiger takes up the first position of this clause, the verb (sind) must come immediately after it to stay in the strict second position.
English uses "more grown-up," not "grown-upper." Why does German just add -er to make erwachsener?
In English, we use "more" for longer words. In German, almost all adjectives form their comparative by adding -er to the end, no matter how many syllables they have. So erwachsen (grown-up) simply becomes erwachsener. You do not use mehr (more) to form this kind of comparative in German.
Could I use umso instead of desto in this sentence?
Yes! The words desto and umso mean the exact same thing in this grammar structure and are completely interchangeable. You could perfectly well say: Je erwachsener wir werden, umso ruhiger sind wir.
What role does werden play in the first half of the sentence?