Breakdown of Al is het ijskoud, ik ga toch skiën.
ik
I
zijn
to be
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
het
it
toch
still, anyway (particle) / right? (question tag)
al
even if (concessive)
ijskoud
freezing cold
skiën
to ski
Questions & Answers about Al is het ijskoud, ik ga toch skiën.
Why is the first part Al is het instead of Al het is?
When al is used to mean "even if" or "although", it forces the verb to the front of its clause. Instead of the normal subject-verb order (het is), the clause must start with the verb, giving us is het.
Normally, starting with a clause causes inversion in the second half. Why is it ik ga instead of ga ik?
This is a very important exception to the Dutch V2 (verb-second) rule! Normally, a starting clause pushes the verb in the main clause to the front. But an al clause acts like a completely separate sentence. Because of this, the main clause keeps its regular subject-verb order (ik ga).
What does the word toch add to this sentence?
In this context, toch means "still" or "anyway". It works together with the al clause to emphasize the contrast: even though the first condition is true, the second action will happen regardless. You will frequently see al and toch paired up like this in Dutch.
Why does skiën have two dots over the 'e'?
Those two dots are called a trema, and they indicate that a new syllable is starting. Without them, the letters 'ie' would blend into a single "ee" sound (like the Dutch word "zien"). The trema ensures you pronounce it properly as two distinct syllables: "skee-en".
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