Breakdown of De oppas is weliswaar jong, maar ze heeft goede referenties.
zijn
to be
maar
but
jong
young
hebben
to have
goed
good
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
de oppas
the babysitter
weliswaar
admittedly / true (conceding a point)
de referentie
the reference
Questions & Answers about De oppas is weliswaar jong, maar ze heeft goede referenties.
What exactly does the combination of weliswaar and maar do in this sentence?
They work together as a pair meaning 'admittedly ... but' or 'it is true that ... but'. You use weliswaar to concede a point (being young might be seen as a disadvantage) and maar to introduce the counter-argument that outweighs it (having good references).
Could I start the sentence with weliswaar instead of de oppas?
Yes, but because weliswaar is an adverb, putting it at the start triggers inversion (verb before subject). The sentence would then become: Weliswaar is de oppas jong, maar ze heeft goede referenties.
How does this structure differ from using hoewel (although)?
Using hoewel requires a subclause with the verb at the end, making the grammar more complex: Hoewel de oppas jong is, heeft ze.... The weliswaar ... maar structure is often easier to use because it simply connects two standard main clauses with normal word order.
Why does goed get an extra -e in goede referenties?
Because referenties is plural. When an adjective is placed directly before a plural noun, it almost always takes the -e ending, regardless of whether the singular version of the noun takes de or het.
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