German · B1 · Family moment
Finding our rhythm in music practice in German
Notice how small changes in music practice affect playing. Use je ... desto to link two changes, like English “the more ..., the easier ...”.
What you'll learn
- Describe connections between practice habits and playing with je ... desto.
- Put the finite verb at the end of the je clause.
- Place the finite verb directly after the whole desto comparative phrase.
German phrases for finding our rhythm in music practice
Je langsamer ich spiele, desto weniger Fehler mache ich.
The more slowly I play, the fewer mistakes I make.
Spiele ends the je clause. The whole phrase desto weniger Fehler comes before mache.
Je genauer du zuhörst, desto klarer wird der Rhythmus.
The more carefully you listen, the clearer the rhythm becomes.
Zuhörst comes last in the je clause; wird follows desto klarer.
Je öfter wir üben, desto leichter wird diese Melodie.
The more often we practise, the easier this tune gets.
Öfter and leichter link increasing practice with increasing ease.
Je kräftiger ich blase, desto lauter klingt der Ton.
The harder I blow, the louder the note sounds.
Kräftiger means “with more force” here. Klingt follows desto lauter.
Je entspannter deine Hände sind, desto besser spielst du.
The more relaxed your hands are, the better you play.
Sind ends the first clause. In the second clause, spielst comes before du.
Je länger ich ohne Pause spiele, desto müder fühle ich mich.
The longer I play without a break, the more tired I feel.
Even with extra detail like ohne Pause, spiele stays at the end of the je clause.
Je besser ich die Melodie kenne, desto weniger brauche ich die Noten.
The better I know the tune, the less I need the music.
Die Noten means the written music here. Brauche follows desto weniger.
Je mehr Spaß uns das Üben macht, desto mehr Lust haben wir zu spielen.
The more we enjoy practising, the more we want to play.
Natural German uses “the more fun practising gives us” and “the more desire we have to play”. Haben follows the whole phrase desto mehr Lust.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
der Fehler, die Fehler
mistake
Fehler machen means “to make mistakes”.
der Rhythmus, die Rhythmen
rhythm
The pattern of beats in music.
die Melodie, die Melodien
tune; melody
The sequence of notes you play or sing.
der Ton, die Töne
note; tone; sound
Used here for a sound produced on an instrument.
die Hand, die Hände
hand
Entspannte Hände means “relaxed hands”.
die Pause, die Pausen
break; pause
Ohne Pause means “without a break”.
die Note, die Noten
written musical note; sheet music in the plural
Die Noten often refers to the written music you read while playing.
üben
to practise
Used for practising an instrument, a tune or a skill.
zuhören
to listen attentively
In this unit: listening carefully to the music.
Link two changes with je ... desto
Use je + a comparative to introduce one change and desto + a comparative to describe a linked change. Either change can increase or decrease. Separate the two clauses with a comma.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Two increases | je öfter ..., desto leichter ... | Je öfter wir üben, desto leichter wird diese Melodie. |
| An increase and a decrease | je langsamer ..., desto weniger ... | Je langsamer ich spiele, desto weniger Fehler mache ich. |
Verb positions in the two clauses
In the je clause, the finite verb goes last. In the desto clause, the whole comparative phrase takes the first position, followed immediately by the finite verb. The subject then follows the verb. “Verb-second” means second position, not second word.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Je clause: verb last | je + comparative + subject + other information + finite verb | Je besser ich die Melodie kenne, ... |
| Desto clause: verb second | desto + comparative + finite verb + subject + other information | ... desto weniger brauche ich die Noten. |
| A longer comparative phrase | desto + comparative + noun + finite verb + subject | ... desto weniger Fehler mache ich. |
More examples
Je langsamer wir üben, desto klarer hören wir die Töne.
The more slowly we practise, the more clearly we hear the notes.
Üben ends the je clause; hören follows desto klarer.
Je öfter ich diese Melodie spiele, desto besser kenne ich sie.
The more often I play this tune, the better I know it.
The subject ich follows kenne in the desto clause.
Je entspannter ich bin, desto mehr Spaß macht mir das Üben.
The more relaxed I am, the more I enjoy practising.
Desto mehr Spaß is one complete comparative phrase; macht comes directly after it.