Breakdown of Je mehr du übst, desto einfacher wird es.
du
you (informal singular)
es
it
mehr
more
werden
to become / to get (change of state)
einfach
easy / simple / simply, just
üben
to practice
je ... desto
the ... the (proportional)
Questions & Answers about Je mehr du übst, desto einfacher wird es.
Why is the verb übst at the very end, but wird comes right after einfacher?
Je acts like a subordinating conjunction, which kicks the conjugated verb übst to the end of that first clause. Desto, however, introduces a main clause. The chunk desto einfacher takes up the entire first position in this main clause, meaning the verb wird must take the strict second position right after it.
Can I use umso instead of desto in this sentence?
Absolutely. In German, desto and umso mean the exact same thing when paired with je. Saying Je mehr du übst, umso einfacher wird es is perfectly correct and very common.
What is mehr the comparative form of in this sentence?
mehr is the irregular comparative form of viel (much or a lot). The je ... desto structure always requires a comparative adjective or adverb immediately after those two words, so here we use mehr (more) and einfacher (easier).
Why does the German sentence use wird instead of ist?
The verb werden (here conjugated as wird) means to become or to get when describing a change of state. It emphasizes the ongoing process of the task becoming easier as a result of your practice, rather than just stating a fixed fact with ist.
Learn Je mehr du übst, desto einfacher wird es 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