Breakdown of Es war draußen eisig, umso schöner tanzten die Schneeflocken.
sein
to be
es
it
schön
beautiful
draußen
outside
tanzen
to dance
umso
the (alternative second part)
eisig
icy
die Schneeflocke
the snowflake
Questions & Answers about Es war draußen eisig, umso schöner tanzten die Schneeflocken.
Why does the verb tanzten come right after umso schöner?
In this structure, the combination of umso and the comparative word (schöner) takes up the entire first position of the clause. Because this is an independent main clause, the verb (tanzten) must take the second position to satisfy the V2 rule, followed immediately by the subject (die Schneeflocken).
Is this the same grammar as the je ..., umso ... (the ..., the ...) structure?
It uses the same word, but the sentence structure is different. A je ..., umso ... sentence uses a dependent clause followed by a main clause. Here, both clauses are independent. The umso in this sentence translates to "all the more," showing that the fact established in the first clause (it was icy) makes the action in the second clause (the beautiful dancing) even more intense.
Why doesn't schöner have a declension ending here, like schönere?
Because it is acting as an adverb here, describing the verb tanzten (how the snowflakes danced), rather than modifying a noun directly. In German, comparative adverbs look exactly the same as the base comparative adjective, with no extra endings.
Could I use desto instead of umso in this sentence?
Yes, desto and umso are generally interchangeable in this consecutive context too. You can say ... desto schöner tanzten die Schneeflocken to mean exactly the same thing: "all the more beautifully."
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