Breakdown of Hoewel ze ziek is, heeft ze de kracht en de moed.
zijn
to be
en
and
hebben
to have
ziek
sick
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
hoewel
although
de kracht
the strength / the power
de moed
the courage
Questions & Answers about Hoewel ze ziek is, heeft ze de kracht en de moed.
Why does the first clause say ze ziek is instead of ze is ziek?
The word hoewel (although) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause and forces the verb, which is is here, to the very end of that clause.
Why are the verbs is and heeft right next to each other?
This happens because of two different Dutch word order rules colliding. The first clause sends its verb (is) to the end because of hoewel. The second clause is the main sentence, which must put its verb (heeft) in the second position. Since the entire first clause counts as position one, heeft has to come immediately after the comma.
Wait, if heeft is in position two, why is the subject ze after it instead of before it?
Because the verb heeft took the second spot right after the comma, the subject (ze) gets pushed to the third spot. This swapping of the subject and verb is called inversion, and it happens whenever a sentence starts with something other than the subject.
Why is it de kracht and de moed rather than het?
Almost all abstract nouns representing qualities, feelings, or concepts take de in Dutch. Since strength (kracht) and courage (moed) are abstract concepts, they both use de.
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