Breakdown of Ten spyte van die fout bly die betaaltydperk dieselfde.
bly
to remain
die fout
the mistake
dieselfde
same
ten spyte van
despite; in spite of
Questions & Answers about Ten spyte van die fout bly die betaaltydperk dieselfde.
What does ten spyte van mean, and is it a fixed expression?
Yes. Ten spyte van is a fixed expression meaning despite or in spite of.
So:
- Ten spyte van die fout = Despite the error
You should learn it as a whole phrase. Even though the individual words have older or more formal origins, modern learners usually just treat ten spyte van as one unit.
A near-synonym is ondanks:
- Ten spyte van die fout ...
- Ondanks die fout ...
Both are correct, though ten spyte van may feel a little more formal or set-phrase-like.
Why does the verb bly come before the subject die betaaltydperk?
This is because Afrikaans follows the verb-second rule in main clauses.
The sentence begins with the fronted phrase:
- Ten spyte van die fout
Once that phrase is placed first, the finite verb must come next:
- Ten spyte van die fout bly ...
After that comes the subject:
- Ten spyte van die fout bly die betaaltydperk dieselfde.
Compare the more neutral order:
- Die betaaltydperk bly dieselfde ten spyte van die fout.
Both are correct, but when you move Ten spyte van die fout to the front for emphasis, bly must move into second position.