Learn Hardcore Dutch: Die verrassing wordt pas tijdens het diner onthuld. - That surprise will only be revealed during dinner.

In Dutch main clauses the finite verb must be in second position (the V2 rule). Here die verrassing occupies the first slot, so wordt (the finite form of worden) comes next. All other elements, including the past participle onthuld, go toward the end of the clause. Since this is a passive construction, the past participle appears at the very end.

How do you form the passive voice in Dutch, and how does wordt onthuld compare to an active sentence?

The Dutch passive is formed with a conjugated form of worden (in this case wordt for third person singular) plus a past participle (onthuld). In an active equivalent you might say Ze onthullen die verrassing pas tijdens het diner (They reveal that surprise only during the dinner). Switching to passive shifts the focus from the doer (ze) to the action’s recipient (die verrassing).

Why doesn't the past participle onthuld start with ge-, like many other Dutch participles?

Verbs with inseparable prefixes—such as ont- in onthullen—do not get the ge- prefix in their past participle form. You simply drop -en from the infinitive and add -d or -t as appropriate: onthullen → onthuld.

What is the function of pas in this sentence, and how should I translate it?

Here pas means only or not until. It emphasizes that the surprise will not be revealed before the dinner; you could translate the sentence as “That surprise will not be revealed until dinner (only then will it be revealed).”

Why does the sentence use tijdens het diner instead of op het diner or another preposition?

Tijdens means “during,” so tijdens het diner = “during the dinner.” You use op with days or dates (e.g., op maandag) or sometimes with events on a specific date, but for an ongoing time span or activity like a dinner, tijdens is the natural choice.

What kind of pronoun is die in die verrassing, and why is it used here?

Here die is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” It points to a specific surprise previously mentioned or known in context. You could also say de verrassing for “the surprise,” but die stresses exactly which surprise you mean.

Can I front the time expression for emphasis, and what changes in word order if I do?

Yes. If you start the sentence with the adverbial phrase, you trigger inversion. For example:
Pas tijdens het diner
wordt
die verrassing onthuld.
Notice wordt still comes immediately after the fronted phrase, and the subject die verrassing follows the finite verb.

Does wordt onthuld indicate a present or future action?

Grammatically it’s present tense (“is being revealed”), but contextually it often has a future sense—especially with time adverbs like pas tijdens het diner. In English you’d normally render it as a future: “will be revealed.”