Breakdown of Wanneer hij zich verstapt, verergert de pijn daardoor snel.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
snel
fast
wanneer
when
de pijn
the pain
verergeren
to worsen
zich verstappen
to misstep
daardoor
because of that / as a result
Questions & Answers about Wanneer hij zich verstapt, verergert de pijn daardoor snel.
The lesson is about daardoor triggering inversion, but here it is in the middle of the sentence. Why?
The subordinate clause Wanneer hij zich verstapt occupies the first position of the entire sentence. To satisfy the V2 (verb second) rule, the main verb verergert must come immediately after the comma. If you split this into two separate sentences, daardoor would go at the front and trigger inversion itself: Hij verstapt zich. Daardoor verergert de pijn snel.
Why do we need the word zich in the first clause?
It is required because zich verstappen (to misstep or sprain one's ankle) is a reflexive verb in Dutch. Since the subject is hij, the matching reflexive pronoun is zich.
Can I place daardoor at the very end of the sentence, after snel?
It is much more natural to place daardoor before snel. In Dutch sentence structure, adverbs of cause or reason (like daardoor) generally come before adverbs of manner (like snel). Placing it at the very end would sound unnatural to a native speaker.
The verb verergert contains the word erg. Is that intentional?
Yes, absolutely! The prefix ver- is frequently used in Dutch to turn an adjective into a verb meaning 'to make or become more [adjective]'. Since erg means bad or severe, verergeren means to worsen or become more severe.
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