saggies/stilletjies

Saggies and Stilletjies

Level 4

Add a diminutive ending plus -s to some adjectives for a gentle manner: Praat saggies, die baba slaap. (Speak softly, the baby is sleeping.)

How It Works

1. How they are built. The ending is a diminutive (see -ie, -tjie, -etjie and -pie) plus -s, with the same spelling changes as for nouns:

  • sag (soft) → saggies (softly)
  • lig (light) → liggies (lightly)
  • stil (quiet) → stilletjies (quietly, secretly)
  • stadig (slow) → stadigies (slowly, bit by bit)
  • alleen (alone) → alleentjies (all alone)
  • skelm (sly) → skelmpies (on the sly)

2. What they add. The meaning stays close to the plain word, but it sounds softer and more personal. Hy praat sag and Hy praat saggies both mean He speaks softly, but the second sounds gentler and more caring. See what diminutives do.

3. Only for manner. These words describe how an action is done (see adjectives as adverbs). Before a noun, use the normal adjective: 'n sagte stem (a soft voice). The word netjies (neat, neatly) is an exception, because it can also stand before a noun: 'n netjiese hemp (a neat shirt).

4. A fixed set. Use the forms you hear, and do not add the ending to any adjective. The final -s is part of the word: say saggies, never saggie.

Examples (5)

  1. Praat saggies, die baba slaap.

    Speak softly, the baby is sleeping.

    Word by Word: Speak softly, the baby sleeps.

  2. Sy het stilletjies by die agterdeur uitgeglip.

    She quietly slipped out through the back door.

    Word by Word: She has quietly by the back-door out-slipped.

  3. Klop liggies aan die deur.

    Knock lightly on the door.

    Word by Word: Knock lightly on the door.

  4. Die ou man sit alleentjies op die bankie.

    The old man is sitting all alone on the bench.

    Word by Word: The old man sits all-alone on the bench.

  5. Stadigies word dit donker.

    Slowly it gets dark.

    Word by Word: Slowly becomes it dark.

    The adverb comes first, so the verb word comes second.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the adverb form before a noun.

    Sy het 'n saggies stem.
    Sy het 'n sagte stem.

    Saggies describes how something is done. Before a noun, use the adjective with -e: 'n sagte stem.

  • Leaving off the final -s.

    Praat asseblief saggie.
    Praat asseblief saggies.

    The adverb ends in -s: saggies, stilletjies, liggies.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

saggies/stilletjiesLevel 4Saggies and Stilletjies

Learn This First

Saggies and stilletjies are adverbs with a diminutive ending.

Words in This Pattern

saggies