Breakdown of Hoewel we hard vechten, verliezen we uiteindelijk.
hard
loud / fast (forceful) / hard (with effort)
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
verliezen
to lose
hoewel
although
uiteindelijk
ultimately / eventually
vechten
to fight
Questions & Answers about Hoewel we hard vechten, verliezen we uiteindelijk.
Why is the verb vechten at the end of the first clause?
The word hoewel (although) is a subordinating conjunction. Words like this introduce a subclause, which means the conjugated verb (vechten) gets pushed to the very end of that part of the sentence.
Why does the second half say verliezen we instead of we verliezen?
In Dutch, the main verb must come second in a main clause. Because the entire subclause (Hoewel we hard vechten) takes up the first position, the verb verliezen has to come immediately after the comma to take the second position.
Does the word hard mean exactly the same thing as in English?
Mostly yes, as in to do something with a lot of effort or force (hard vechten means to fight hard). However, hard can also mean fast or loud in Dutch, like hard rijden (driving fast) or hard praten (talking loudly).
Is uiteindelijk related to the word einde (end)?
Yes! It is made of uit (out) + einde (end) + the suffix -lijk (which is often like -ly in English). Together, it translates to ultimately or eventually.
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