In English, we say "However hard you try..." or "No matter how often...". In Dutch, you can express these concessions using the combination of hoe and ook.
Begin the clause with hoe followed immediately by the adjective or adverb you want to emphasize, and then the subject. The word ook behaves like a standard adverb, typically appearing after the subject (and any definite objects).
| However diligently you practice, you will not master it quickly. | Hoe ijverig je ook oefent, je zult het niet snel beheersen. |
| However effortless it seems, she does not yet master the flute. | Hoe moeiteloos het ook lijkt, zij beheerst de dwarsfluit nog niet. |
Clause Word Order
Because the hoe ... ook construction is a subordinate clause, all of its verbs are pushed to the end.
| However often he had tuned the string, the guitar was out of tune. | Hoe vaak hij de snaar ook had gestemd, de gitaar was vals. |
| However hard you press the key, the sound remains soft. | Hoe hard je ook op de toets drukt, de klank blijft zacht. |
Main Clause Word Order
There is a special quirk to this structure: unlike most subordinate clauses that sit at the beginning of a sentence, a hoe ... ook clause does not trigger inversion in the main clause. The main clause that follows it simply uses standard subject-verb word order.
| However big the blister is, he keeps playing. | Hoe groot de blaar ook is, hij blijft spelen. |
| However long it takes, I will master that piece effortlessly. | Hoe lang het ook duurt, ik zal dat stuk moeiteloos beheersen. |
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