Vergleichssätze (je...desto, als ob)
Vergleichssätze — for English Speakers
Introduction
German comparative clauses include 'je...desto' (the more...the more) and 'als ob' (as if). English has exact equivalents, making these conceptually easy. The challenge is word order: in 'je...desto', 'je' sends the verb to the end of its clause while 'desto' triggers inversion. 'Als ob' takes Konjunktiv II and sends the verb to the end. These word order rules have no English parallel.
German vs English
In German
Je mehr ich lerne, desto besser verstehe ich.
In English
The more I learn, the better I understand.
Key Difference
Same correlative structure. German: je (verb-final) + desto (verb-second inversion).
In German
Er tut so, als ob er nichts wüsste.
In English
He acts as if he knew nothing.
Key Difference
Both use subjunctive after 'as if'/'als ob' — English 'knew' and German 'wüsste' are parallel.
Common Mistakes for English Speakers
Je mehr ich lerne, desto ich verstehe besser.
Wrong desto-clause order — the comparative (besser) follows desto, then verb, then subject.
Er tut so, als ob er weiß nichts.
Using indicative instead of Konjunktiv II after 'als ob' and wrong word order — verb goes to the end.
Practice Examples
Je länger man wartet, desto schwieriger wird es.
The longer you wait, the harder it gets.
Sie sieht aus, als ob sie krank wäre.
She looks as if she were sick.
Je mehr du übst, desto schneller lernst du.
The more you practice, the faster you learn.
Memory Tip
JE = verb to end, DESTO = comparative + inverted verb. ALS OB = as if + Konjunktiv II + verb to end.
View Grammar Rule
Vergleichssätze (je...desto, als ob)
Vergleichssätze — B2
Practice Exercises
Vergleichssätze (je...desto, als ob) Übungen
8 exercises
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