Breakdown of Ondanks dat we falen, creëren we structuur om te blijven leren.
leren
to learn
blijven
to stay
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
te
to (infinitive marker)
falen
to fail (in general, to not succeed)
om
in order to
ondanks dat
despite the fact that
creëren
to create
de structuur
the structure (framework, organization)
Questions & Answers about Ondanks dat we falen, creëren we structuur om te blijven leren.
Why is te placed before blijven instead of leren in om te blijven leren?
In an om ... te construction with multiple infinitives, the word te must go immediately before the first infinitive in the verb group. Here, blijven acts as an auxiliary verb meaning "to keep [doing something]". Therefore, te goes before blijven, not the main verb leren. Saying om blijven te leren would be incorrect.
Why do we need dat after Ondanks? Could I just say Ondanks we falen?
You cannot drop dat here. Ondanks is a preposition meaning "despite", so it must be followed by a noun or noun phrase (e.g., ondanks onze fouten - despite our mistakes). To connect it to a full clause with a subject and verb like we falen, you must turn it into a conjunction by adding dat, creating ondanks dat (despite the fact that).
Why is the main clause word order inverted to creëren we?
This is the standard V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The entire dependent clause Ondanks dat we falen occupies the first position of the sentence. The main verb creëren must take the second position, pushing the subject we right behind it.
How does blijven work with another verb like leren?
While blijven normally means "to stay" or "to remain", combining it with another infinitive turns it into an auxiliary verb meaning "to keep [doing an action]". So blijven leren means "to keep learning", and it functions as a single verb group at the end of the clause.
Learn Ondanks dat we falen, creëren we structuur om te blijven leren and more in Dutch
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free