Breakdown of Zij onderbreekt de discussie, hoewel we er stiekem mee doorgaan.
zij
she
wij
we
hoewel
although
stiekem
secretly
er
it (in 'er ... op/mee', pronominal adverb)
doorgaan
to continue / to go on
mee
along, with (too)
de discussie
the discussion
onderbreken
to interrupt
Questions & Answers about Zij onderbreekt de discussie, hoewel we er stiekem mee doorgaan.
Why are er and mee separated by the word stiekem?
The words er and mee form the pronominal adverb ermee (meaning "with it"). In subordinate clauses, it is very common to split these adverbs. The first part (er) comes early in the clause, while the preposition part (mee) is placed just before the verbs at the end. Other adverbs, like stiekem (secretly), usually sit directly between them.
Why does the second clause end with doorgaan instead of gaan door?
The word hoewel (although) introduces a subordinate clause, which pushes the verbs to the end of the sentence. Doorgaan (to continue) is a separable verb, but when a separable verb is pushed to the end of a subordinate clause, its prefix (door) and the verb (gaan) reunite and are written as a single word.
Why do we use mee here instead of met for the word "with"?
In Dutch, the preposition met changes to mee when it connects with words like er, hier, or daar to form a pronominal adverb. Therefore, "with it" translates to ermee (or split into er ... mee), and never ermet.
Why doesn't the verb onderbreekt split into breekt onder in the main clause?
Onderbreken (to interrupt) is an inseparable verb. Unlike separable verbs, its prefix (onder-) is permanently attached and never splits off, regardless of where it appears in the sentence. You can usually recognize inseparable verbs because the spoken emphasis falls on the core verb (onderbreken) rather than the prefix.
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