Use a comparative on each side
Both parts describe a degree that can change. The changes need not go in the same direction: longer waiting can leave less patience. The construction expresses a relationship; it does not provide independent proof of a cause.
Je länger wir warten, desto weniger Zeit haben wir.
The longer we wait, the less time we have.
Keep the comparative phrase together
The whole phrase beginning with desto or umso occupies the main clause’s first position. It can contain several words and a noun. The finite verb follows that complete phrase, before the subject where appropriate.
Je früher Nora beginnt, desto mehr Zeit hat sie.
The earlier Nora starts, the more time she has.
An appearance does not establish the fact
An als ob comparison describes how something looks or is presented. Konjunktiv II makes the distance from a direct assertion explicit, without always proving the comparison false. Keep the finite verb last, and use a past construction if the imagined event is earlier.
Nora wirkt, als ob sie schlecht geschlafen hätte.
Nora seems as if she had slept badly.
Practise this pattern
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References
Original explanations and examples informed by grammar references. Level placement is an editorial teaching choice.