Hij was moe. Desondanks ging het geklaag door.
He was tired. Nevertheless, the complaining continued.
Breakdown of Hij was moe. Desondanks ging het geklaag door.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
moe
tired
doorgaan
to continue / to go on
desondanks
nevertheless
het geklaag
the complaining
Questions & Answers about Hij was moe. Desondanks ging het geklaag door.
How is geklaag formed, and what specific nuance does it add here?
Geklaag is a noun formed by adding the prefix ge- to the stem of the verb klagen (klaag). As covered in this lesson, this pattern creates a neuter noun (always taking het) that describes a continuous, repetitive, and usually irritating action. Here, it emphasizes that the complaining was an ongoing annoyance.
Why do we use desondanks instead of just ondanks?
Ondanks is a preposition meaning "despite" and must be followed directly by a noun or pronoun (e.g., ondanks de regen). Desondanks is an adverb meaning "despite that" or "nevertheless." The des- part refers back to the entire previous sentence (Hij was moe), allowing it to stand independently at the start of the second sentence.
Why is the word order ging het geklaag rather than het geklaag ging?
Because the sentence starts with the adverb Desondanks. In Dutch main clauses, the conjugated verb must always take the second position (the V2 rule). Since Desondanks is in position one, the verb ging must immediately follow it, causing the subject (het geklaag) to invert and come right after the verb.
What is the infinitive of ging ... door, and why are they split up?
The infinitive is the separable verb doorgaan (to continue / to go on). In a main clause, the conjugated part of the verb (ging, which is the simple past of gaan) goes to the second grammatical position, while the separable prefix (door) gets kicked all the way to the end of the sentence.
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