Breakdown of Hoewel de trein razendsnel is, is het binnen bloedheet.
zijn
to be
de trein
the train
binnen
inside
het
it
Questions & Answers about Hoewel de trein razendsnel is, is het binnen bloedheet.
How do the compound adjectives razendsnel and bloedheet break down literally?
They are elative compounds, which use a descriptive word to severely intensify an adjective. Razendsnel comes from razend (raging or furious) and snel (fast). Bloedheet comes from bloed (blood) and heet (hot), translating literally to "blood hot".
Could I just use heel snel and heel heet instead of these compounds?
You certainly could, and people will understand you perfectly. However, Dutch speakers love using elative compounds in everyday conversation to add emphasis and emotion. Using words like razendsnel and bloedheet makes your Dutch sound much more native and expressive than just relying on heel (very).
Why is the verb at the end of the first clause (razendsnel is)?
The sentence starts with hoewel (although), which is a subordinating conjunction. This creates a dependent clause, which always pushes its conjugated verb (is) to the very end of that specific clause, right before the comma.
Why is the word order after the comma is het binnen instead of het is binnen?