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
bakken
to fry / to bake
stiekempjes
secretly
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"?
In Dutch word order, adverbs of manner that describe how something happens typically come before an indefinite direct object (an object with een or no article). Because she is baking "a" cake (een taart), the adverb stiekempjes must come before it. If it were a specific cake (de taart), it would be more natural to say Zij gaat de taart stiekempjes bakken.
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