Breakdown of Ze overwinnen het obstakel niet, hoewel ze geen angst hebben.
niet
not
hebben
to have
geen
no / not any
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
Questions & Answers about Ze overwinnen het obstakel niet, hoewel ze geen angst hebben.
Why is hebben at the very end of the sentence?
The word hoewel (although) introduces a subordinate clause. In Dutch, subordinate clauses use verb-final word order, meaning the conjugated verb (hebben) gets pushed to the very end of that clause.
Why is niet placed at the end of the first clause?
In a main clause, niet usually comes after a specific, definite object. Because het obstakel uses the word het (the), it is a specific object, so niet is placed after it, falling at the very end of the first clause before the comma.
Why do we use geen instead of niet in the second part?
You use geen to negate nouns that do not have a definite article (like de or het). Since angst (fear) is a general concept here, we use geen to mean "no fear" instead of using niet.
Is overwinnen a separable verb? Why isn't it split up here?
No, overwinnen (to overcome) is an inseparable verb. Even though it starts with the preposition over, the prefix stays firmly attached to the main verb in all present and past tense sentences.