Breakdown of Наша уверенность растёт по мере того, как мы приобретаем опыт.
мы
we
наш
our (наш, наша, наше)
опыт
experience
расти
to grow
Questions & Answers about Наша уверенность растёт по мере того, как мы приобретаем опыт.
What is the literal meaning of по мере того, как, and how does it relate to the English translation "as"?
The noun мера means "measure" or "degree." So, the phrase literally translates to something like "in the measure of that, how..." or "to the degree that...". In natural English, we just say "as" or "in proportion as" to show two things changing simultaneously.
Why is the comma placed before как instead of before по мере?
Russian compound conjunctions like по мере того как can often be split. Here, placing the comma before как puts the emphasis on the result (our confidence growing). If you wanted to emphasize the action of acquiring experience, you could put the comma before the whole phrase: ..., по мере того как.... Both are grammatically correct, but splitting it is very common.
Why are both verbs (растёт and приобретаем) in the imperfective aspect?
The phrase по мере того, как describes proportional progression, meaning two continuous actions are happening at the same time and affecting each other. Because these are ongoing, simultaneous processes, both verbs must be in the imperfective aspect.
Is приобретать опыт the standard way to say "gain experience"?
Yes. While you could technically say получать опыт (to get experience), приобретать опыт (to acquire or gain experience) is the standard, slightly more elevated collocation in Russian, much like the difference between "getting" and "acquiring" experience in English.