Breakdown of По мере того как вы совершенствуете навыки, вы становитесь профессионалом.
вы
you (plural)
навык
skill
становиться
to become (imperfective)
по мере того как
as
Questions & Answers about По мере того как вы совершенствуете навыки, вы становитесь профессионалом.
How exactly does the phrase по мере того как break down literally?
По мере literally means 'by the measure' and requires the genitive case. The pronoun того (of that) provides this genitive target, and как introduces the action. Word-for-word, it means 'by the measure of that how', which we translate naturally as 'as' or 'in proportion as'.
Why are both verbs (совершенствуете and становитесь) in the imperfective aspect?
The phrase по мере того как explicitly describes two ongoing, parallel processes developing at the same time. Because the progression is continuous and happening simultaneously, you must use imperfective verbs in both clauses.
Why does this sentence use профессионалом instead of the nominative профессионал?
The verb становиться (to become) requires the noun that follows it to be in the instrumental case. This is a standard Russian rule for showing a transition into a new state, profession, or role.
Is the verb совершенствовать related to the Russian word for 'perfect'?
Yes, it shares a root with совершенство (perfection) and совершенно (absolutely/perfectly). While it is translated as 'improve' here, you can think of совершенствовать навыки as literally meaning 'to perfect your skills'.