Breakdown of Hij heeft de moed om door te gaan, hoewel hij bang is.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
hebben
to have
bang
scared
hoewel
although
te
to (infinitive marker)
om
in order to
doorgaan
to continue / to go on
de moed
the courage
Questions & Answers about Hij heeft de moed om door te gaan, hoewel hij bang is.
Why does the verb is go at the very end of the sentence?
The word hoewel (although) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause, which forces the conjugated verb (is) to move to the very end of that clause.
If I start the sentence with Hoewel hij bang is, how does that change the rest of the sentence?
Starting with the hoewel clause triggers inversion in the main clause. The entire subordinate clause acts as the first piece of information, so the main verb must come immediately after the comma. It becomes: Hoewel hij bang is, heeft hij de moed om door te gaan.
Why do we need om and te here?
The om ... te + infinitive structure is used to say 'in order to' or simply 'to do something'. It is often used after certain nouns (like de moed, the courage) to explain what the noun is for. Here, it gives us 'the courage to continue'.
Why is te placed right in the middle of door and gaan?
Doorgaan (to continue / to go on) is a separable verb. When a separable verb is used in a te + infinitive structure, the word te gets sandwiched right between the prefix (door) and the base verb (gaan). They are written as three separate words: door te gaan.
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