Breakdown of Anna leest stiekem een boek in de hal.
Anna
Anna
het boek
the book
lezen
to read
in
in
een
a, an
de hal
the hall
stiekem
secretly
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Anna leest stiekem een boek in de hal.
Why is leest spelled with a “-t” at the end instead of just lees?
In Dutch, regular verbs in the present tense take a -t in the 3rd-person singular (he/she/it). The infinitive is lezen, the stem is lees-, and adding -t gives leest (“(she) reads”).
Where does the adverb stiekem go in a Dutch main clause?
Adverbs of manner like stiekem typically follow the finite verb in a main clause. The basic order is:
- Subject (Anna)
- Finite verb (leest)
- Adverb of manner (stiekem)
- Object (een boek)
- Other elements (in de hal)
Can I move stiekem to the beginning or end of the sentence?
Yes. Dutch allows some flexibility for emphasis:
- Stiekem leest Anna een boek in de hal. (Emphasizes the sneaky aspect.)
- Anna leest een boek in de hal stiekem. (Less common, a bit awkward.)
If you move stiekem to the front, you still keep the verb in 2nd position.
Why doesn’t Dutch use a continuous/progressive tense like English “is reading”?
Dutch normally uses the simple present (Anna leest) for both habitual and ongoing actions. To stress that something is happening right now, you can say:
- Anna is stiekem een boek aan het lezen in de hal.
Here aan het lezen functions like the English “is reading.”
Why is the indefinite article een used before boek, and not the definite het?
een means “a” or “an” and indicates non-specificity. We don’t know which book Anna is reading. If you said het boek, you’d be referring to a specific book both the speaker and listener know about.
Why is in de hal placed at the end of the sentence?
Prepositional phrases of place usually come after the object in Dutch. The most neutral order is Subject – Verb – Manner – Object – Place. You could move in de hal earlier for focus, but it then affects the usual verb-second rule if you place it at the very start.
What exactly does hal mean in Dutch? Is it the same as “hall” in English?
hal refers to an entrance hall or hallway—the space you step into right after the front door of a house or building. It’s closer to “entryway” or “foyer” in some contexts.
How do you pronounce stiekem in Dutch?
Phonetically it’s /ˈstiː.kəm/. The ie spells a long /iː/ (as in English “see”) and the -em ending is a reduced vowel (schwa), sounding like “kəm.”