Cu cât punem mai mult, cu atât pământul devine mai fertil.

It is a correlative comparative pattern meaning the more ..., the more ... or sometimes the ...er ..., the ...er ... in English.

So:

• Cu cât punem mai mult, cu atât pământul devine mai fertil. = The more we put in, the more fertile the soil becomes.

A few important points:

• cu cât introduces the first comparison
• cu atât introduces the result or corresponding increase in the second part

This is a very common Romanian structure.

Not really in a literal sense. In this structure, cu cât ... cu atât ..., you should learn the whole expression as a fixed pattern.

Even though cu often means with, here the phrase functions idiomatically to express proportional increase:

• cu cât = the more / the ...er
• cu atât = the more / the ...er / by that much

So it is better not to translate cu word by word in this sentence.

Yes, punem is the 1st person plural present of a pune = to put.

• eu pun = I put
• tu pui = you put
• el/ea pune = he/she puts
• noi punem = we put
• voi puneți = you all put
• ei/ele pun = they put

In this sentence, punem can be understood literally as we put, but it may also be used in a more general sense, like English the more you put in or the more one puts in. Romanian often uses we in general statements where English might use you or a more impersonal construction.

Mai mult means more.

It is made of:

• mai = marker of comparison, like more
• mult = much / a lot

So:

• mult = much / a lot
• mai mult = more

In this sentence, mai mult refers to putting in a greater quantity of something. The thing being added is not named in the sentence, but the grammar still works fine.

Punem mai mult is the most neutral and natural order here.

Romanian word order is flexible, but not random. The normal order is usually:

• verb + adverbial/complement

So:

• punem mai mult = we put more

You may sometimes see mai mult punem for emphasis or contrast, but in a neutral statement like this, punem mai mult is the standard choice.

Also, the structure often appears as:

• Cu cât punem mai mult, cu atât...

This sounds natural and balanced.

The comma separates the two linked parts of the comparative structure:

• Cu cât punem mai mult,
• cu atât pământul devine mai fertil.

This is similar to English punctuation in a sentence like:

• The more we add, the more fertile the soil becomes.

The comma helps show the relationship between the two clauses.

Pământul is the definite form, meaning the soil or the earth/ground.

In Romanian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun:

• pământ = soil / earth / ground
• pământul = the soil / the ground / the earth

In this sentence, Romanian uses the definite noun because it refers to the soil in a general but identifiable sense, often like English the soil.

Devine means becomes, while este means is.

So:

• pământul este fertil = the soil is fertile
• pământul devine mai fertil = the soil becomes more fertile

Here, devine is important because the sentence describes a change or increase over time. The soil is not just fertile; it is becoming more fertile as more is added.

Mai fertil is the regular comparative form of the adjective fertil.

• fertil = fertile
• mai fertil = more fertile

Romanian usually forms the comparative with mai + adjective:

• bun → mai bun = good → better
• mare → mai mare = big → bigger
• fertil → mai fertil = fertile → more fertile

So mai works a lot like English more, except Romanian uses it very broadly, including where English sometimes has a special form like better.

Yes, Cu cât mai mult punem, cu atât... is also possible.

Both are understandable:

• Cu cât punem mai mult, cu atât...
• Cu cât mai mult punem, cu atât...

The version with punem mai mult is very natural and neutral. The version with mai mult earlier can place slightly more focus on more itself.

In everyday Romanian, both patterns can occur, but the original sentence is perfectly standard.

In this kind of full comparison, cu atât is normally used to complete the pattern.

So the standard structure is:

• Cu cât X, cu atât Y.

Example:

• Cu cât înveți mai mult, cu atât înțelegi mai bine. = The more you study, the better you understand.

In casual speech, people may sometimes shorten things if the meaning is obvious, but for learners, it is best to use the full pattern.

In this sentence, soil is the best translation.

Romanian pământ can mean several related things depending on context:

• earth
• ground
• land
• soil

Because the sentence talks about becoming more fertile, the intended meaning is clearly soil.

Romanian uses diacritics to show different vowel sounds. In this sentence you see:

• ă in pământul
• â in cât, atât, pământul

These are separate letters, not optional decorations.

Very roughly:

• ă is a short central vowel, like a reduced unstressed sound
• â is a close central vowel, a sound English does not really have

They matter for both spelling and pronunciation, so learners should try to notice them from the beginning.

It is most naturally understood as a general truth or general principle.

Romanian often uses the present tense for general statements:

• Cu cât punem mai mult, cu atât pământul devine mai fertil.

This does not have to mean right now at this exact moment. It can mean something like:

• whenever more is added, the soil becomes more fertile
• as a rule, adding more makes the soil more fertile

So the present tense here works much like the English present in general statements.