Breakdown of Ze is weliswaar altijd stipt, maar ze speelt nooit buiten.
zijn
to be
maar
but
altijd
always
spelen
to play
buiten
outside
nooit
never
ze
they; she (unstressed form of zij) / them (object)
weliswaar
admittedly / true (conceding a point)
stipt
punctual
Questions & Answers about Ze is weliswaar altijd stipt, maar ze speelt nooit buiten.
How does the weliswaar ... maar combination work in this sentence?
Weliswaar means admittedly or it is true that, and it pairs with maar (but) to form a correlative structure. It sets up a concession—acknowledging a positive or true fact (ze is altijd stipt)—before delivering a contrasting counter-argument (ze speelt nooit buiten).
Why is weliswaar placed after the verb is? Could I start the sentence with it?
Weliswaar is an adverb, so it normally sits in the middle of the sentence, after the conjugated verb (is). You can start the sentence with it for emphasis, but remember that doing so triggers inversion (putting the verb before the subject): Weliswaar is ze altijd stipt, maar...
Why doesn't the word maar push the verb speelt to the end of the second clause?
Because maar is a coordinating conjunction. Unlike subordinating conjunctions (like hoewel or omdat), coordinating conjunctions just link two main clauses together without affecting the word order of the clause that follows them. The second clause keeps the standard subject-verb order (ze speelt).
Is buiten at the end of the sentence part of a separable verb?
Yes, it comes from the separable verb buitenspelen (to play outside). Because this is a main clause, the conjugated part (speelt) stays in the second position, while the prefix (buiten) gets pushed to the very end of the clause, after the adverb nooit.
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