Word
Zij gaat stiekempjes een taart bakken.
Meaning
She is going to secretly bake a cake.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Zij gaat stiekempjes een taart bakken.
zij
she
een
a/an
gaan
to go / to go off (of an alarm)
de taart
the cake
Questions & Answers about Zij gaat stiekempjes een taart bakken.
How does "stiekempjes" differ from just using the standard word "stiekem"?
Stiekem already means "secretly." Adding the adverbial diminutive -pjes softens the word and gives it a playful, cozy, or harmless vibe. You use stiekempjes for fun surprises, like secretly baking a cake for someone, rather than for malicious or serious deceit.
Why is the suffix "-pjes" here instead of just "-jes"?
Just like with regular noun diminutives, when the base word ends in an -m (like stiekem), we insert a p to make it easier to pronounce. This creates the suffix -pjes. You will also see this phonetic rule applied to nouns, such as in boompje (little tree).
Can I use "stiekempjes" as an adjective, for example "een stiekempjes plan" (a sneaky little plan)?
No, you cannot. When you add -jes or -pjes to an adjective to create this specific diminutive form, it becomes strictly an adverb, meaning it can only describe an action. To describe a noun, you must use the standard adjective form: een stiekem plan.
Why does "stiekempjes" come before "een taart"?