Breakdown of Hoewel het huis klein is, is de hypotheek hoog.
zijn
to be
het huis
the house
klein
small
hoog
high / tall
Questions & Answers about Hoewel het huis klein is, is de hypotheek hoog.
Why is the first is at the very end of its clause?
The word hoewel (although) introduces a subordinate (dependent) clause. In Dutch, these types of clauses push the conjugated verb to the very end. That is why we say Hoewel het huis klein is instead of the English word order.
Why does the second half of the sentence start with the verb is?
This happens because of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The main verb of an independent clause must sit in the second position. The entire first clause (Hoewel het huis klein is) occupies the first position. To keep the main verb in position two, the subject and verb of the main clause swap places, resulting in is de hypotheek hoog.
Is the comma strictly necessary here?
Yes! Whenever a subordinate clause comes first, you usually end up with two verbs right next to each other (in this case, is, is). The comma visually separates them and makes the sentence much easier to parse.
How could I rewrite this sentence using the hoe ... des te (the... the...) structure we are currently learning?
If you wanted to change the meaning from a contrast ("although") to a proportion ("The smaller the house, the higher the mortgage"), you would use the comparative forms of the adjectives: Hoe kleiner het huis, des te hoger de hypotheek. Just like in English, the verb is can often be dropped in this specific construction.