Breakdown of De constructie is robuust, zij het veel ingewikkelder.
zijn
to be
veel
much / many / a lot of
ingewikkeld
complicated
de constructie
the construction
zij het
albeit
robuust
robust
Questions & Answers about De constructie is robuust, zij het veel ingewikkelder.
Where does the phrase zij het come from, and what is its literal meaning?
Zij het translates to "albeit" or "even if it is". It is a fixed, fossilized expression made from an old subjunctive form of zijn (to be) plus het (it), so it literally means "be it". Today, you don't need to conjugate it; it is just used as a set connector.
Could I use hoewel (although) instead of zij het here?
Yes, you could say ... hoewel veel ingewikkelder, but zij het is highly idiomatic for this specific job: tacking on a contrasting adjective or short phrase. If you wanted to use a full clause with a subject and verb, you would have to use hoewel (e.g., ... hoewel het veel ingewikkelder is).
Does using zij het change the word order rules like other conjunctions?
No, because zij het is specifically used to avoid making a full clause. It connects a fragment (like the adjective phrase veel ingewikkelder) directly to the main sentence. This means there are no new subjects or verbs to juggle, and therefore no "verb to the end" rules to worry about.
Why does ingewikkelder end in -er when it is already such a long word?
The base adjective is ingewikkeld (complicated). Unlike English, which switches to using "more" for longer words (more complicated), Dutch consistently adds -er to almost all adjectives to form the comparative, regardless of their length. The word veel (much) then emphasizes it, making it "much more complicated".
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