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Hoewel de vragen lastig zijn, hopen we het antwoord te vinden.

Hoewel de vragen lastig zijn, hopen we het antwoord te vinden.
Although the questions are tricky, we hope to find the answer.
From Lesson 112:Clauses of contrast (hoewel)·Dutch

Questions & Answers about Hoewel de vragen lastig zijn, hopen we het antwoord te vinden.

Why is zijn at the end of the first part instead of after vragen?
The word hoewel (although) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause and pushes the conjugated verb (zijn) to the very end of that clause. So we say Hoewel de vragen lastig zijn instead of Hoewel de vragen zijn lastig.
Why does the second half say hopen we instead of we hopen?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The entire first clause (Hoewel de vragen lastig zijn) counts as the first block of information in the sentence. Because the verb must always come second in a main clause, hopen comes right after the comma, followed by the subject (we).
Could I use moeilijk instead of lastig here?
Yes, you could! They are very similar. Moeilijk simply means difficult or hard. Lastig means tricky, awkward, or bothersome, which fits well when talking about questions that try to trip you up.
Why is there a te before vinden at the end of the sentence?
The verb hopen (to hope) is one of several Dutch verbs that requires te when linked to an infinitive (the full verb). Just like in English where we say 'hope to find', in Dutch you put te before the infinitive at the end of the sentence: hopen het antwoord te vinden.

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