Breakdown of Al is de bezem oud, hij veegt nog steeds goed.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
oud
old
goed
good
nog
still, yet / more, another (with a quantity)
steeds
again and again, constantly / still
al
even if (concessive)
vegen
to sweep
de bezem
the broom
Questions & Answers about Al is de bezem oud, hij veegt nog steeds goed.
How does the grammar work in hij veegt nog steeds goed if the broom isn't actually doing the sweeping?
This is the facilitive middle voice! You are using an active verb (vegen) with an adverb of manner (goed) to describe how an object experiences an action. Similar to the English phrase "this pen writes well," Dutch frequently uses this structure to express the quality of a tool or an object, even though someone else is actually performing the action.
Why is the word order is de bezem (verb + subject) after al?
When al is used as a conjunction meaning "even though" or "even if" at the start of a sentence, it triggers inversion (verb before subject). You can think of it acting similarly to a conditional "if" clause in this specific setup.
Wait, shouldn't the second clause be veegt hij? Why isn't there inversion in the main clause?
You've spotted a tricky exception! Normally, putting a dependent clause at the beginning of a sentence takes up "position one" and forces inversion in the main clause that follows. However, an al clause is a rare exception to this rule. The main clause following it simply keeps the standard subject-verb word order (hij veegt).
Could I write this sentence using hoewel (although) instead of al?
Yes, but you would have to change the word order in both halves of the sentence. Hoewel is a normal subordinating conjunction, so it sends the verb to the end: Hoewel de bezem oud is.... Because it acts like a normal dependent clause, it does trigger inversion in the main clause: ...veegt hij nog steeds goed.
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