Breakdown of Hoewel hij bijgelovig is, leest hij nooit een horoscoop.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
een
a/an
lezen
to read
nooit
never
hoewel
although
de horoscoop
the horoscope
bijgelovig
superstitious
Questions & Answers about Hoewel hij bijgelovig is, leest hij nooit een horoscoop.
Why is the main clause leest hij instead of hij leest?
The sentence starts with the subordinate clause Hoewel hij bijgelovig is. In Dutch, this entire clause occupies the first position in the sentence. To satisfy the V2 rule (the main verb must be in the second position), the main verb leest comes immediately after the comma, resulting in inverted word order for the subject and verb.
Why does the verb is go at the end of the first clause?
The word Hoewel (although) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a subordinate clause, which forces the conjugated verb to the very end of that clause.
How is the word bijgelovig formed?
It is made of the noun bijgeloof (superstition) plus the adjective suffix -ig. If you break the noun down further, geloof means belief or faith, and the prefix bij- implies something extra or on the side. So it literally translates to having side-beliefs.
Could I put nooit at the very end of the sentence?
No, that would sound unnatural here. In Dutch, adverbs of time like nooit (never) usually come before an indefinite direct object. Because een horoscoop is indefinite (it uses een instead of de), nooit is placed right in front of it.
Learn Hoewel hij bijgelovig is, leest hij nooit een horoscoop and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free