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.
than / when / as
'als' and 'desto' both appear in comparisons, but they have different jobs. 'als' is used after a comparative when you directly compare two people, things, or situations: 'größer als' (bigger than), 'schneller als' (faster than), 'besser als' (better than). 'desto' is almost always used together with 'je'. This shows that when one thing becomes stronger or more intense, another thing changes too. Learners may confuse the words because a comparative appears in both cases. Remember: 'größer als ich' (bigger than me) compares two things; 'je größer, desto schwerer' (the bigger, the heavier) shows a change in two parts.
Je länger die Kundin wartet, desto unruhiger wird sie.
The longer the customer waits, the more restless she becomes.
Der Zug ist heute schneller als der Bus.
The train is faster than the bus today.