Learn Dutch: Hoe vaak de snaar ook breekt, zij blijft spelen. - However often the string breaks, she keeps playing.

To say "however [adverb/adjective]" in Dutch, you use a combination of hoe and ook. The word hoe pairs with the adverb vaak at the start of the clause, while ook is placed later on, usually just before the verb at the end. It translates literally as "How often the string also breaks".

Why isn't there word order inversion in the second clause (blijft zij instead of zij blijft)?

This is a rare exception! Normally, starting a sentence with a subordinate clause forces the main clause to invert its subject and verb. However, concessive clauses (clauses expressing "no matter what" or "however") are often treated as loosely connected introductory thoughts. Because of this, the main clause is allowed to keep the standard subject-verb order (zij blijft). Note that inversion (blijft zij) would also be perfectly grammatically correct here.

Why does breekt go at the very end of the first part?

The phrase Hoe vaak de snaar ook breekt functions as a subordinate clause. As a quick refresher: in Dutch subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb (here, breekt) is always pushed to the very end of that clause.

Why use blijft spelen for "keeps playing"?