ook al
Dutch edit
Pronunciation edit
Conjunction edit
- even though, despite that
- Ook al investeert de regering, de crisis lijkt onafwendbaar.
- Even if the government invests, crisis seems inevitable.
- We zijn goed bezig, ook al zeggen ze van niet.
- We are doing things right, even though people say we’re not.
Usage notes edit
In contrast with its synonyms ‘ofschoon’ and ‘(al)hoewel’, ook al causes an inversion of the finite verb in the subclause which it governs, but requires there to be no inversion in the accompanying main clause. Compare:
- Ofschoon de regering investeert, lijkt de crisis onafwendbaar.
- Ook al investeert de regering, de crisis lijkt onafwendbaar.
Ook al may be shortened to al, which possesses the same grammatical characteristics.