De acrobaat had pijn, maar is toch gaan optreden.
The acrobat was in pain, but still went to perform.
Breakdown of De acrobaat had pijn, maar is toch gaan optreden.
zijn
to be
maar
but
hebben
to have
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
de pijn
the pain
toch
still, anyway (particle) / right? (question tag)
optreden
to perform
de acrobaat
the acrobat
Questions & Answers about De acrobaat had pijn, maar is toch gaan optreden.
Why is the infinitive gaan used here instead of the past participle gegaan?
This is the double infinitive rule! When a verb of motion like gaan (to go) is linked with another verb (optreden) in the perfect tense, it does not change into a past participle. Instead, both verbs sit together at the end of the sentence as infinitives: gaan optreden.
Why do we use is and not heeft for the perfect tense here?
The helping verb is determined by the main action verb of the perfect tense, which is gaan (to go). Because gaan is a verb of motion, it takes zijn (here, is) instead of hebben to form the perfect tense.
Where is the subject in the second half of the sentence?
The subject is still de acrobaat. Because maar connects two clauses with the exact same subject, you do not have to repeat it. If you wanted to include it, it would go right after maar: ...maar hij is toch gaan optreden.
What role does the word toch play in this sentence?
Toch is a very common word in Dutch used to express a contrast, meaning 'still', 'anyway', or 'nevertheless'. It highlights that the acrobat performing was surprising because he was in pain.
Is it normal to mix the simple past (had) and the present perfect (is gaan optreden) in the same sentence?
Yes, this is very natural in Dutch! The simple past (had pijn) describes the background situation or feeling, while the present perfect (is gaan optreden) describes the specific action that took place.
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