the
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the ..., the ...
Used in combination with 'je' to express a proportional relationship. It introduces the second part of a comparative sentence.
Je mehr man lernt, desto mehr versteht man.
The more you learn, the more you understand.
'Desto' almost never stands alone; instead, it forms a fixed structure for comparisons with 'je': 'je ..., desto ...' (the ..., the ...). 'Je' always introduces the first part, and 'desto' the second.
Je früher wir losfahren, desto weniger Stau haben wir.
The earlier we leave, the less traffic we'll have.
The structure has a fixed word order. The 'je' part is a subordinate clause, so the verb comes at the end. The 'desto' part is a main clause, where the verb comes directly after the comparative.
Je länger er wartete, desto ungeduldiger wurde er.
The longer he waited, the more impatient he became.
After both 'je' and 'desto', the comparative form of an adjective or adverb must be used. Typical forms include 'mehr' (more), 'besser' (better), 'schneller' (faster), or 'weniger' (less).
Je mehr Sport du treibst, desto fitter fühlst du dich.
The more sports you do, the fitter you feel.
the more / all the
desto typically appears in the second part of the fixed construction „je ..., desto ...“. umso can express the same proportional relationship, but it can also stand on its own to respond to a circumstance mentioned earlier. Use desto after „je“, and umso when the first part of the comparison has already been mentioned.
Je früher wir losfahren, desto schneller erreichen wir den See.
The earlier we leave, the faster we will reach the lake.
Der Bus fährt schon ab, umso schneller müssen wir zum Bahnhof gehen.
The bus is already leaving, so we have to get to the station even faster.
