Breakdown of Je länger ich lerne, desto besser wird mein Deutsch.
ich
I
lernen
to learn
gut
good / well
mein
my
Deutsch
German
lang
long
werden
to become / to get (change of state)
je ... desto
the ... the (proportional)
Questions & Answers about Je länger ich lerne, desto besser wird mein Deutsch.
Why is the verb at the end in the first half (lerne) but right after besser in the second half (wird)?
Je acts as a subordinating conjunction, which kicks the conjugated verb (lerne) to the very end of its clause. Desto, however, counts as the first position of the main clause. Because the verb must come second in a German main clause, wird immediately follows the comparative phrase desto besser.
Can I use umso instead of desto in this sentence?
Yes! Desto and umso mean the exact same thing in these proportional comparisons. You could just as easily say, Je länger ich lerne, umso besser wird mein Deutsch.
Why does the sentence use wird for "gets"? Shouldn't it be a word like bekommt?
In English, we often use "to get" to mean "to become" (getting better, getting tired). In German, you must use the verb werden (to become) for this change of state. Bekommen means "to receive" (like getting a gift), so using bekommt here would sound like your German is receiving a physical package!
Why does länger have an umlaut?
When forming the comparative by adding -er, many short, one-syllable German adjectives that contain an a, o, or u add an umlaut. So, the base adjective lang (long) becomes länger (longer).
Learn Je länger ich lerne, desto besser wird mein Deutsch and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free