Breakdown of Ook al wilden we elke donateur benaderen, we hadden te weinig tijd.
hebben
to have
de tijd
the time
willen
to want
te
too
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
weinig
little / few
elk
each, every
ook al
even if / even though
de donateur
the donor
benaderen
to approach (come near, contact)
Questions & Answers about Ook al wilden we elke donateur benaderen, we hadden te weinig tijd.
Why is there no inversion in the main clause (we hadden instead of hadden we)?
This is a unique quirk of the phrase ook al (even though). Normally, if a Dutch sentence starts with a subordinate clause, the following main clause inverts the subject and verb. However, the main clause following an ook al phrase is a rare exception and keeps the standard Subject-Verb order (we hadden).
Why doesn't the verb go to the end of the ook al clause?
Unlike standard subordinating conjunctions such as hoewel (although), ook al acts like an adverbial phrase placed at the start of the sentence. This means it triggers immediate inversion (wilden we) rather than pushing the verbs to the very end of the clause.
How would the word order change if I used hoewel (although) instead?
Because hoewel is a standard subordinating conjunction, the first clause would push the verbs to the end, and the main clause would use inversion. The sentence would become: Hoewel we elke donateur wilden benaderen, hadden we te weinig tijd.
How could we express this scenario using the connector zodoende from our current lesson?
Zodoende means 'thus' or 'as a result', so we have to flip the cause and effect to use it here. You could say: We hadden te weinig tijd; zodoende konden we niet elke donateur benaderen. (We had too little time; as a result, we couldn't approach every donor). Notice that zodoende is a resultative adverb, so it triggers inversion (zodoende konden we).
Can benaderen be used for both physical and figurative approaches?
Yes, just like 'to approach' in English, benaderen can mean physically moving closer to someone, or figuratively contacting someone to make a request, ask a question, or pitch an idea (which is what is happening with the donors here).
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