Introduction
Spanish adds suffixes to nouns to show size or feeling. A diminutive makes something small or affectionate. An augmentative makes it big, and sometimes clumsy or impressive.
| suffix | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| -ito / -ita | small, affectionate | perro perrito (little dog) |
| -illo / -illa | small, sometimes less important | cama camilla (stretcher) |
| -cito / -cita | used after -e, -n, -r | café cafecito, ratón ratoncito |
| -ón / -ona | big | casa casona (big house) |
| -azo / -aza | big or impressive | perro perrazo (huge dog) |
| -ote / -ota | big, often clumsy | libro librote (huge book) |
Spelling Changes
Some consonants change so the word keeps its sound.
- poco poquito
- amigo amiguito
- agua agüita
- pez pececito
Diminutives in Everyday Speech
Diminutives often sound polite or friendly rather than small.
- un momentito, por favorjust a moment, please
- mi abuelitamy grandma, said with affection
- un cafecitoa quick coffee
- ahoritaright now, very common in Mexico
Choices vary by region: momentito is used everywhere, momentico is heard in Colombia, Venezuela and Costa Rica, and -illo is typical of southern Spain.
Words That Changed Meaning
Some words with these suffixes now have their own meaning.
- la ventana la ventanillacar or ticket window
- la bolsa el bolsillopocket
- la silla el sillónarmchair
- la cuchara la cucharillateaspoon
Practice
What does perrito mean?
The diminutive of café is ___.
The diminutive of poco is ___.
The diminutive of amigo is ___.
Un momentito, por favor is said to sound ___.
Which suffix makes a noun bigger?
Un perrazo is ___.
Un sillón is ___.
El bolsillo is ___.
Which word is a diminutive?
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