Casita, perrito, grandote, cochazo. How suffixes add emotion, size and attitude to Spanish words.
| Suffix | Base word | Diminutive | Nuance |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ito/a | casa | casita | little house (affectionate) |
| -ito/a | perro | perrito | little dog / puppy (cute) |
| -ito/a | momento | momentito | just a tiny moment |
| -illo/a | guerra | guerrilla | small war |
| -illo/a | bolsa | bolsillo | pocket (small bag) |
| -ín/ina | pequeño | pequeñín | tiny little one |
| -ete/a | amigo | amiguete | buddy (casual) |
Words ending in -o/-a: drop last vowel + -ito/-ita: gato → gatito
Words ending in -e: add -cito: café → cafecito, pobre → pobrecito
Words ending in consonant: add -ito: pan → panecito, flor → florecita
Words with ie/ue: keep diphthong: cuerpo → cuerpecito
Un cafecito = a coffee (friendly, inviting) — not physically smaller!
Ahorita = right now (Mexico) — time, not size
Cerquita = very close — distance
Poquito = a tiny bit — amount
Solito/a = all alone (sympathy) — emotion
Tranquilito = nice and calm — attitude
| Suffix | Base | Augmentative | Nuance |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ón/ona | grande | grandón | really big |
| -ote/ota | amigo | amigote | big buddy / pal |
| -azo/a | coche | cochazo | amazing car / beast of a car |
| -azo | gol | golazo | amazing goal |
| -udo/a | barba | barbudo | bearded (big beard) |
-ucho/a: casa → casucha (dump, horrible house)
-aco/a: libro → libraco (terrible book)
-ejo/a: animal → animalejo (nasty little animal)
-uza: gente → gentuza (riffraff, rabble)
-ito is universal. -ico is used in Colombia, Costa Rica, Aragón (Spain): momentico
-iño is used in Galicia (Spain): pequeñiño
Mexico loves diminutives — ahorita, cerquita, lueguito are everyday words.
1. Little house (affectionate) = _____.
2. Amazing goal = _____.
3. "Un cafecito" means a coffee that is _____.
4. Amazing car = _____.
5. Horrible house (pejorative) = _____.
6. "Ahorita" in Mexico means _____.
7. café → diminutive = _____.
8. -ón/-ona makes things _____.
9. The most common diminutive suffix = _____.
10. "Solita" conveys _____.
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