Breakdown of Ondanks dat hij gewond was, brak hij zijn allerlaatste wereldrecord.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
zijn
his
gewond
injured
breken
to break
Questions & Answers about Ondanks dat hij gewond was, brak hij zijn allerlaatste wereldrecord.
How does the prefix aller- work in allerlaatste?
The prefix aller- is added to a superlative adjective to amplify its meaning, translating to "very" or "of all". The superlative of laat (late) is laatst (last). Adding aller- creates allerlaatst, which emphasizes it is the "very last" one.
Why is it Ondanks dat instead of just Ondanks?
Ondanks is a preposition meaning "despite" and must be followed by a noun phrase (e.g., Ondanks zijn blessure). By adding dat, you turn it into a conjunction ("despite the fact that"), which allows you to introduce a full subordinate clause with its own subject and conjugated verb (hij gewond was).
Why is the word order brak hij instead of hij brak in the second half?
The entire subordinate clause (Ondanks dat hij gewond was) acts as a single block occupying the first position of the sentence. Because Dutch main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule, the conjugated verb (brak) must come immediately after that block, pushing the subject (hij) to the other side of the verb.
Why does allerlaatste get an -e ending here?