Breakdown of Je besser der Schliff, desto mehr funkeln jene Diamanten.
gut
good / well
mehr
more
je
the (in proportional comparisons)
desto
the (second part of proportional comparisons)
Questions & Answers about Je besser der Schliff, desto mehr funkeln jene Diamanten.
Why is jene used here instead of the standard definite article die?
Jene translates to 'those' and emphasizes distance or contrast, as if pointing to specific diamonds further away. While you could use die to mean 'the' or 'those', jene sounds slightly more formal and specifically points to 'those ones over there' in contrast to 'these ones here' (diese).
What case is jene Diamanten in this sentence?
It is in the nominative case. The phrase jene Diamanten is the subject of the second clause: they are the things doing the sparkling (funkeln). Because Diamanten is plural, the demonstrative pronoun takes the plural nominative ending -e, becoming jene.
Why is the verb funkeln placed right after desto mehr?
The structure je [comparative], desto [comparative] (the [comparative]..., the [comparative]...) triggers specific word orders. The desto part acts as a main clause. The phrase desto mehr occupies the first position, so the verb (funkeln) must take the second position, immediately followed by the subject (jene Diamanten).
Is there a verb missing in the first half of the sentence (Je besser der Schliff)?