Breakdown of Zelfs de kampioen was moe, vooral na de derde wedstrijd.
zijn
to be
moe
tired
derde
third (3rd)
de wedstrijd
the match / the game
Questions & Answers about Zelfs de kampioen was moe, vooral na de derde wedstrijd.
Why doesn't the adverb Zelfs cause inversion (putting the verb before the subject) at the start of the sentence?
Because Zelfs is a focus adverb that modifies the subject (de kampioen) directly, rather than modifying the whole sentence. Together, Zelfs de kampioen forms one single block in the first position. Therefore, the verb was simply takes its normal second position.
Could zelfs be placed somewhere else in this sentence?
Not without changing the meaning. Focus adverbs like zelfs (even) are placed right next to the word or phrase they emphasize. If you wanted to emphasize that the champion was tired (instead of just annoyed), you would say De kampioen was zelfs moe, placing it right before moe.
Why is vooral placed immediately after the comma?
Just like zelfs, vooral (especially) sits directly in front of the information it highlights. Here, it puts the focus on the entire prepositional phrase na de derde wedstrijd (after the third match).
Is there a standard rule for making ordinal numbers like derde (third)?