Breakdown of Hoewel hij nog ziek is, is de vloek ongetwijfeld gebroken.
zijn
to be
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
ziek
sick
nog
still, yet / more, another (with a quantity)
hoewel
although
breken
to break
ongetwijfeld
undoubtedly
de vloek
the curse
Questions & Answers about Hoewel hij nog ziek is, is de vloek ongetwijfeld gebroken.
Why is the adverb ongetwijfeld placed right before gebroken?
Ongetwijfeld (undoubtedly) is a sentence-level adverb of evaluation. In the middle field of a Dutch sentence, these adverbs come after a specific subject like de vloek and before the verbs at the end of the sentence, which is why it sits directly in front of the past participle gebroken.
Could I put ongetwijfeld at the very beginning of the sentence instead?
Yes, but you would have to rearrange the clauses. If you start the main clause with an evaluation like Ongetwijfeld is de vloek gebroken, the hoewel clause usually moves to the end: Ongetwijfeld is de vloek gebroken, hoewel hij nog ziek is. Leaving the adverb in the middle field lets you establish the condition first.
Why does the second part of the sentence say is de vloek instead of de vloek is?
The entire first clause (Hoewel hij nog ziek is) occupies the first position of the overall sentence. Because Dutch main clauses strictly follow the V2 rule, the conjugated verb must take the second position. Therefore, the verb is must come right after the comma, swapping places with the subject de vloek.
Why doesn't the verb in the first clause come right after hij?
Hoewel (although) is a subordinating conjunction, which means it introduces a subordinate clause. This type of clause forces its conjugated verb to the very end. That is why is appears after nog ziek rather than in the normal second position.
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