Breakdown of De inflatie stijgt, maar de slimme belegger maakt toch winst.
maar
but
maken
to make
toch
still, anyway (particle) / right? (question tag)
slim
smart
de winst
the profit
stijgen
to rise
de inflatie
the inflation
de belegger
the investor
Questions & Answers about De inflatie stijgt, maar de slimme belegger maakt toch winst.
This lesson focuses on hoe ... hoe (the ... the). How could I rewrite this sentence to use that structure?
You could change it to something like: Hoe meer de inflatie stijgt, hoe meer winst de slimme belegger maakt (The more inflation rises, the more profit the smart investor makes). Notice that when you use the hoe ... hoe structure, both halves of the sentence act like subordinate clauses, which pushes the verbs (stijgt and maakt) to the end of their clauses!
Why does the second part of the original sentence keep the normal Subject-Verb order (de slimme belegger maakt) instead of pushing the verb to the end?
Because the word maar (but) is a coordinating conjunction. It simply links two main clauses together. Unlike subordinating conjunctions such as omdat or hoewel, maar does not change the word order of the clause that follows it.
Why is it slimme belegger and not just slim belegger?
Because belegger is a de-word, and it is preceded by the definite article de. When an adjective comes directly before a noun in this situation, it gets an -e added to the end.
What role does the word toch play here?
In this context, toch translates to anyway, nevertheless, or still. It emphasizes a strong contrast, pointing out that the investor makes a profit despite the negative condition (rising inflation) mentioned in the first half of the sentence.
What is the infinitive form of the verb stijgt?
The infinitive is stijgen, which means to rise, to increase, or to climb. It is a very common B1-level verb for discussing trends or prices, and its opposite is usually dalen (to fall or decrease).
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