Breakdown of Toen de verkoper de isolatie verbeterde, steeg de waarde.
toen
when / then (in the past)
verbeteren
to improve
stijgen
to rise
de waarde
the value
de verkoper
the seller
de isolatie
the insulation
Questions & Answers about Toen de verkoper de isolatie verbeterde, steeg de waarde.
This lesson is about hoe ... des te ... (the ... the ...). How would you rewrite this sentence using that structure?
To say "The more the seller improved the insulation, the more the value rose," you would write: Hoe meer de verkoper de isolatie verbeterde, des te meer de waarde steeg. Notice that both the hoe clause and the des te clause act like subclauses here, sending their conjugated verbs (verbeterde and steeg) to the end of their respective phrases.
Why does the second half of the sentence say steeg de waarde instead of de waarde steeg?
This is due to inversion. The entire first clause (Toen de verkoper de isolatie verbeterde) occupies the first position in the overall sentence. The main verb (steeg) must take the second position, forcing the subject (de waarde) to come right after it.
Could I use wanneer instead of toen for "when" in this sentence?
No. In Dutch, toen is strictly used for a single, completed event in the past. If you used wanneer, it would imply "whenever," which refers to repeated actions, rather than this specific historical event.
What is the infinitive of steeg?
The infinitive is stijgen (to rise or to increase). It is a strong (irregular) verb that follows the common ij to ee vowel shift in the simple past tense, similar to kijken becoming keek.
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