Learn Dutch: Desondanks betwijfelen zij de kwantitatieve gegevens. - Nevertheless, they doubt the quantitative data.

The base verb is twijfelen, which is intransitive and requires the preposition aan (e.g., zij twijfelen aan de gegevens). Adding the inseparable prefix be- turns it into the transitive verb betwijfelen. This allows the verb to take the direct object de kwantitatieve gegevens directly, dropping the preposition entirely.

Why is the verb betwijfelen placed before the subject zij?

The sentence starts with the adverb Desondanks ('nevertheless'). Because Dutch uses V2 (verb-second) word order in main clauses, placing an adverb in the first position forces the verb into the second position, pushing the subject after the verb to create an inversion.

Could I use toch instead of desondanks here?

Yes, toch is a very common way to say 'nevertheless' or 'yet' and would be grammatically correct. However, desondanks is more formal and explicit, which perfectly fits the academic or professional tone of discussing kwantitatieve gegevens ('quantitative data').

Where does the word gegevens come from?