Breakdown of По мере того как суп с фасолью и чечевицей остывал, его вкус становился ярче.
с
with
становиться
to become
и
and
суп
the soup
Questions & Answers about По мере того как суп с фасолью и чечевицей остывал, его вкус становился ярче.
What does по мере того как mean?
It means as, in proportion as, or the more... the more... in a gradual sense.
It is used when two processes develop alongside each other over time. In this sentence, one thing is happening gradually — the soup is cooling — and another thing is changing gradually at the same time — the taste is becoming more vivid.
So по мере того как is stronger and more specific than a simple when.
What is того doing in по мере того как?
In this sentence, по мере того как is a fixed conjunction meaning as / as... gradually.
So you should learn по мере того как as one whole unit.
There is also another pattern:
- по мере + noun
- for example: по мере остывания супа = as the soup cooled / during the cooling of the soup
But when a full clause follows, Russian commonly uses по мере того как.
Why are остывал and становился imperfective, not остыл and стал?