Breakdown of Waar de metaaldetector ook piept, de onvermoeibare man begint te graven.
de man
the man
ook
also / -ever (concessive particle)
beginnen
to begin
waar
where
Questions & Answers about Waar de metaaldetector ook piept, de onvermoeibare man begint te graven.
How does waar ... ook translate to "wherever"?
Adding ook to a question word like waar (where), wie (who), or wat (what) creates a universal concessive clause, changing the meaning to "wherever", "whoever", or "whatever". Because it functions as a subclause, the verb (piept) is pushed to the end of that clause.
Why isn't there inversion in the main clause (begint de onvermoeibare man)?
This is a major exception to the normal Dutch word order rules! While starting a sentence with a standard subclause triggers inversion in the main clause, these "wherever/whoever" clauses with ook usually do not. The main clause simply keeps its standard subject-verb order: de onvermoeibare man begint.
How is the adjective onvermoeibare formed?
It is built from the prefix on- (un-), the verb vermoeien (to tire), and the suffix -baar (-able). The -e at the end is the standard adjective ending added because it precedes the noun man. Together, it literally translates to "untireable".
Why do we use te before graven?