Pe măsură ce punem îngrășământ, pământul devine fertil.

Pe măsură ce means as, as... progressively, or the more... the more..., depending on context.

In this sentence, it shows a gradual process:

• Pe măsură ce punem îngrășământ, pământul devine fertil.
• As we add fertilizer, the soil becomes fertile.

So this is not just a one-time when. It suggests that one thing changes gradually while the other happens.

Here, pe măsură ce is a fixed conjunction meaning as or in proportion as.

So you should learn it as one unit:

• pe măsură ce = as / as... progressively

The word ce by itself often means what, that, or which in other contexts, but here it is simply part of the expression.

Punem is the 1st person plural present tense of a pune (to put, to add, to place).

Conjugation of a pune in the present:

• 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

So punem means we put / we add.

In this sentence, punem îngrășământ is best understood as we add fertilizer.

Because Romanian often drops subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

• punem already tells you the subject is we
• so noi is not necessary

You could say:

• Pe măsură ce noi punem îngrășământ...

but that would usually sound more emphatic, as if you want to stress that we are the ones doing it.

This is very common in Romanian.

Because here îngrășământ is being used as a mass noun, like English fertilizer.

Compare:

• punem îngrășământ = we add fertilizer
• punem un îngrășământ special = we add a special fertilizer / a particular fertilizer product

So without un, it means fertilizer in a general, non-count sense.

Because they are being used differently.

pământul

The ending -ul is the Romanian definite article, so pământul means the soil / the ground.

îngrășământ

This is indefinite and general here, meaning fertilizer as a substance.

So the sentence treats them like this:

• îngrășământ = fertilizer in general
• pământul = the soil / the earth being discussed

Romanian often uses the definite article in places where English might or might not use the, especially with general subjects.

That is a normal feature of Romanian grammar. Romanian usually uses a postposed definite article, meaning the article is attached to the end of the noun.

For example:

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

Other examples:

• băiat = boy

• băiatul = the boy

• carte = book
• cartea = the book

So -ul in pământul is just how Romanian says the.

Because devine means becomes, while este means is.

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

In your sentence, the idea is that the soil changes state as fertilizer is added, so devine is the correct choice.

It comes from a deveni, which means to become.

Present tense:

• eu devin
• tu devii
• el/ea devine
• noi devenim
• voi deveniți
• ei/ele devin

So pământul devine fertil means the soil becomes fertile.

Because fertil agrees with pământul in the singular.

Pământ is a neuter noun in Romanian. In the singular, neuter nouns behave like masculine nouns for agreement, so the adjective is in the masculine singular form:

• pământ fertil = fertile soil
• pământul devine fertil = the soil becomes fertile

Some adjective forms:

• masculine/neuter singular: fertil
• feminine singular: fertilă
• plural: fertili / fertile, depending on the noun and adjective pattern

So here fertil is exactly the right form.

Both can refer to soil, but they are not identical.

pământ

A very common everyday word. It can mean:

• earth
• ground
• soil
• land

sol

A more technical or scientific word for soil

So:

• pământul devine fertil sounds natural and everyday
• solul devine fertil is also possible, but sounds more technical or scientific

Yes, the comma is normal here.

Pe măsură ce punem îngrășământ is a subordinate clause, and it comes before the main clause:

• Pe măsură ce punem îngrășământ, pământul devine fertil.

Romanian usually separates this kind of clause with a comma.

If you reverse the order, you would also normally keep the comma:

• Pământul devine fertil, pe măsură ce punem îngrășământ.

Yes. Romanian word order is fairly flexible.

You can also say:

• Pământul devine fertil pe măsură ce punem îngrășământ.

This means the same thing. The version with Pe măsură ce... first puts more focus on the process or condition.

So both are natural, but the original sentence foregrounds the gradual action.

Not exactly. When we add fertilizer is weaker and can sound like a simple time relation.

Pe măsură ce specifically suggests gradual development or proportional change:

• as we add fertilizer
• the more fertilizer we add, the more fertile the soil becomes
  (This is a freer translation, but it captures the idea well.)

So when is usually not the best choice if you want the full nuance.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

în-gruh-shuh-MUNT

A few notes:

• î is a central vowel sound that English does not really have exactly
• ș is pronounced like sh
• ă is a short unstressed vowel, somewhat like the a in about
• the stress is on the last syllable: -mânt

So the most important part for a learner is:

• ș = sh
• ă = a weak central vowel
• stress on mânt

Not really, at least not in the way you should understand this sentence.

In pe măsură ce, the whole expression functions as a conjunction meaning as / in proportion as. So it is best learned as a fixed phrase.

If you try to translate each word literally, it may confuse you. For learners, the practical approach is:

• memorize pe măsură ce as one chunk
• use it when two things develop together gradually

Yes, absolutely.

• a pune = to put
• a adăuga = to add

So:

• Pe măsură ce punem îngrășământ...
• Pe măsură ce adăugăm îngrășământ...

Both are grammatical.
Adăugăm is a little more explicitly add, while punem is a very common everyday verb that can also work naturally in this context.

It can be understood either way depending on context, but most naturally it sounds like a general statement about soil.

Romanian often uses the definite form for general truths:

• Pământul devine fertil... = the soil becomes fertile / soil becomes fertile

So even though English may sometimes prefer a more general form like soil becomes fertile, Romanian can still use pământul naturally.