Breakdown of Hoewel hij bang is, vecht hij tegen de angst.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
bang
scared
tegen
against / to (speaking to)
hoewel
although
vechten
to fight
de angst
the fear
Questions & Answers about Hoewel hij bang is, vecht hij tegen de angst.
Why is is at the very end of the first part (Hoewel hij bang is)?
Hoewel (although) is a subordinating conjunction. In Dutch, these connecting words push the conjugated verb (in this case, is) to the very end of their clause.
Why does the second half say vecht hij instead of hij vecht?
This is because of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire first clause (Hoewel hij bang is) counts as the first block of information in the sentence. Because the verb must come second in the main clause, vecht goes immediately after the comma, followed by the subject hij.
Why are two verbs (is and vecht) right next to each other separated only by a comma?
This is a classic Dutch sentence pattern! The first verb (is) is pushed to the end of its clause by hoewel, and the second verb (vecht) is pulled to the front of its clause by the V2 rule. The comma is required here to clearly separate the two clauses.
What is the difference between bang and angst here?
Both relate to fear, but they are different types of words. Bang is an adjective meaning 'afraid' (he is afraid). Angst is a noun meaning 'fear', which is why it gets the definite article de in de angst (the fear).
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