Diminutives and augmentatives: -ito, -illo, -ón
Make words small, affectionate, big or pejorative with suffixes.
Part of the free B1 Spanish course. Press the speaker next to an example to hear it.
A suffix is an ending added to a word to change its meaning. Spanish uses suffixes constantly to make things smaller or dearer (diminutives: casa → casita) and bigger or more striking (augmentatives: coche → cochazo). They carry feeling as much as size.
Diminutives: -ito, -ita
-ito / -ita is the most common diminutive everywhere. It can mean:
- small: una casita (a little house);
- affection: mi abuelito, Juanito;
- softening a request: un momentito, un poquito.
- Vivimos en una casita cerca del mar.We live in a little house near the sea.
- ¿Me esperas un momentito?Can you wait just a moment for me?
- Mi abuela siempre me llamaba Juanito.My grandmother always called me Juanito.
- Habla un poquito más despacio, por favor.Speak a little more slowly, please.
How to form them
| Word ends in… | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -o, -a | drop the vowel, add -ito / -ita | perro → perrito, casa → casita |
| -e, -n, -r (more than one syllable) | add -cito / -cita | café → cafecito (in Spain also cafetito), joven → jovencito, mujer → mujercita |
| one syllable | add -ecito / -ecita | flor → florecita, pan → panecito |
Spelling changes keep the sound: chico → chiquito (c → qu), amigo → amiguito (g → gu), lápiz → lapicito (z → c). The gender stays: la mano → la manita (Spain).
- Tomamos un cafecito en la terraza.We had a quick coffee on the terrace.
Other diminutives
- -illo / -illa: used all over Spain and especially frequent in Andalusia, often a bit more modest or ironic. In Spain, un panecillo is a bread roll.
- -ico in Aragón, Navarra and Murcia (and Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela): un momentico.
- -ín in Asturias: pequeñín.
Some diminutives are now words of their own and no longer mean small: bocadillo (a baguette sandwich), zapatilla (trainer, slipper), ventanilla (ticket window, car window), mantequilla (butter).
- Me he comprado unas zapatillas para correr.I've bought some running shoes.
Augmentatives: -ón, -azo, -ote
- -ón / -ona: big, or a person with a lot of something: un cabezón (big-headed, stubborn), una casona (a big old house), ¡Qué notición!
- -azo: big and impressive (un cochazo), or a blow with something (un codazo, an elbow jab; un portazo, a door slam).
- -ote / -ota: big, often clumsy: grandote, una palabrota (a swear word).
- Se ha comprado un cochazo.He's bought a really flashy car.
- ¡Qué notición!What amazing news!
- Salió de la habitación dando un portazo.She left the room slamming the door.
Some augmentatives are words of their own too: sillón (armchair), cucharón (ladle).
Pejoratives: -ucho
- Vive en un cuartucho sin ventanas.He lives in a horrible little room with no windows.
Latin America
Diminutives are used even more in much of Latin America, also on adverbs: ahorita (Mexico: right now, or in a little while), cerquita, despacito. La manito is often heard instead of la manita.
Common mistakes
chicito,amigito: keep the sound with the spelling change: chiquito, amiguito.el manito: mano is feminine, and the diminutive keeps the gender: la manita.cafeíto: words in -e take -cito: cafecito.- Using diminutives in formal writing: they are warm and informal, so avoid them in a job application.
- Reading zapatilla or bocadillo as "small shoe" or "small mouthful": they are ordinary words now.
Practice
- Diminutive of perro: Tenemos un _____ blanco.
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perrito
- Diminutive of chica: La _____ tiene tres años.
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chiquita — c → qu keeps the hard /k/ sound before i.
- Which is the diminutive of café?Options: cafecito · cafeíto · cafito · cafeíllo
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cafecito — Words ending in -e add -cito.
- In Spain, what is un bocadillo?Options: a sandwich made with a baguette or roll · a small mouth · a little bite of anything
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a sandwich made with a baguette or roll — A lexicalised diminutive: it is no longer 'small'.