je … desto / umso: the more …, the better

English says the more …, the better …. German uses je in the first half and desto or umso in the second, each followed by a comparative (Comparing: größer als, so groß wie, Comparatives and superlatives before a noun).

The structure

• The je part is a subordinate clause: the verb goes to the end.
• The desto part is a main clause: desto + comparative take position 1, so the verb comes straight after, then the subject.

• Je mehr ich übe, desto besser spreche ich.The more I practise, the better I speak.
• Je länger wir warten, desto teurer werden die Tickets.The longer we wait, the more expensive the tickets get.
• Je älter mein Opa wird, umso weniger schläft er.The older my grandpa gets, the less he sleeps.
• Je früher du kommst, desto mehr Zeit haben wir.The earlier you come, the more time we have.
• Je mehr Leute kommen, desto lustiger wird die Party.The more people come, the more fun the party will be.
• Je öfter ich das Lied höre, umso besser gefällt es mir.The more often I hear the song, the more I like it.

Desto and umso mean the same. Umso is a little more common in speech.

Useful comparatives

Short and turned round

Without verbs, as a fixed phrase:

• Je mehr, desto besser!The more, the merrier!

The je clause can also come second. Then the main clause has normal order, with umso or desto inside it:

• Das Essen wird umso besser, je länger es kocht.The food gets better the longer it cooks.

Read desto + comparative as one block in position 1. Then the old rule applies: the verb comes next.

Common mistakes

• Je mehr ich übe, desto besser ich spreche: after desto + comparative comes the verb: desto besser spreche ich.
• Je mehr übe ich: the je clause has the verb at the end: Je mehr ich übe.
• Je viel, desto gut: both halves need the comparative: Je mehr, desto besser.
• Je mehr …, je besser …: in standard German the second half takes desto or umso.
• Je mehr ich lerne, desto mehr besser …: don't add mehr to a comparative. besser is already "more good".