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German frequency list

No. 922 in German

desto

"The more" (used in comparative constructions).

In a sentence

  • Je mehr ich lerne, desto besser verstehe ich.

    The more I learn, the better I understand.

    Desto is used in conjunction with 'Je' to form a correlative comparison, indicating that one thing increases proportionally with another.

  • Desto älter man wird, desto weiser wird man.

    The older one gets, the wiser one becomes.

    Desto reinforces the idea of a proportional change when paired with comparatives, again tied with 'Je'.

  • Je weniger man weiß, desto mehr lernt man durch Erfahrung.

    The less one knows, the more one learns through experience.

    Desto is part of a causative correlation structure supported by 'Je,' typically following the comparative degree of adjectives.

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