Breakdown of Hij woont in de stad, desondanks raakt hij geïsoleerd.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
in
in
de stad
the city
wonen
to live
desondanks
nevertheless
raken
to get / to become (state change)
geïsoleerd
isolated
Questions & Answers about Hij woont in de stad, desondanks raakt hij geïsoleerd.
Why use raakt here instead of wordt for 'becomes'?
While worden is the standard verb for 'to become', using raken with a past participle (like geïsoleerd) specifically highlights a change of state. It often implies a gradual, unintentional, or emotional process. Here, it emphasizes the process of him getting or ending up isolated, rather than focusing on an outside force doing it to him.
Why is the word order inverted to raakt hij in the second clause?
The word desondanks (nevertheless) is an adverb, not a coordinating conjunction like maar or en. Because it takes the first position in the second clause, it triggers the standard Dutch verb-second rule. The verb (raakt) must come immediately after it, pushing the subject (hij) to the third position.
Could I use toch instead of desondanks here?
Yes, you could. Toch (yet/still) is very similar in meaning and much more common in everyday spoken Dutch, whereas desondanks is slightly more formal and translates best to 'nevertheless' or 'despite that'. If you use toch, the inversion remains exactly the same: , toch raakt hij geïsoleerd.
Why does geïsoleerd have two dots (a trema) on the 'i'?
The infinitive is isoleren. When you add the ge- prefix to form the past participle, the letters 'e' and 'i' sit right next to each other. In Dutch, 'ei' is a distinct vowel sound (like in trein). The trema on the 'i' tells the reader to break the vowels into two separate syllables rather than pronouncing them as one sound.
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