Spanish 6.8. Diminutives & Augmentatives

In Spanish, and especially in Latin America, the use of diminutives and augmentatives is ubiquitous. Understanding some rules will help you perfect your Spanish and bring it closer to native speakers.

Diminutives

In English, we sometimes form the diminutive by suffixing y” or ie, as in “doggie” for “dog” and “kitty” for “kitten. It often indicates a small size and sometimes the state or quality of being familiarly known, lovable, pitiable, or contemptible. Sometimes other suffixes are used. For example,ette” in “kitchenette” and “novelette, let” in “booklet” and “droplet, and ling” in “duckling.”

In Spanish, the purpose of using the diminutive is often similar to that in English. Nevertheless, in a few cases, the diminutive can express sarcasm or negativity. It is also important to remember that we can use the diminutive with nouns, adjectives, and sometimes adverbs.

There are two general rules to form the diminutive in Spanish. However, there are a few exceptions that we will cover as well as some orthographic changes and regional variations. Let us start with the two general rules:

Rule # 1: Diminutives with the “-ito/-ita” Suffix

For words that end in “o,” “a,” or a consonant other than “n” or “r,” add the ending “-ito” for masculine and “-ita” for feminine.

In the case of words ending with “o” or “a,” remove the “o” or “a” to avoid the double vowel. For example:

pollom (chicken)pollo+-ito=pollito (chick)
patom (duck)pato+-ito=patito (duckling)
casaf (house)casa+-ita=casita (small house)
mesaf (table)mesa+-ita=mesita (small table)
manof (hand)mano+-ita=manita [1] (little hand)
pastelm (cake)pastel+-ito=pastelito (small cake)
relojm (clock)reloj+-ito=relojito (small clock)
[1] Notice that “mano” takes the suffix “-ita” because it is a feminine noun, even though it ends with an “o.”


Rule # 2: Diminutives with the “-cito/-cita” Suffix

For words that end in “e,” “n,” or “r,” add the ending “-cito” for masculine and “-cita” for feminine. For example:

cafém (coffee)café+-cito=cafecito (little coffee)
callef (street)calle+-cita=callecita (little street)
suavem,f (soft)suave+-cito -cita=suavecito (very soft)
suavecita (very soft)
favorm (favor)favor+-cito=favorcito (little favor)
amorm (love)amor+-cito=amorcito (sweetie)
camión (truck)camión+-cito=camioncito (little truck)
rincón (corner)rincón+-cito=rinconcito (little corner)

In some words, especially the ones ending in “c” or “z,” an extra “e” is added before the suffix “-cito” or “-cita.” For example:

florf (flower)flor+ecita=florecita[2] (small flower)
[2] The diminutive “florcita” is also used in some parts of Latin America.

Other Diminutives

There are three less common suffixes used to form the diminutive: “-illo/-illa,” “-ico/-ica,” “-zuelo/-zuela.”

There are very few words that use these three suffixes. The most common are: “bolsillo(pouch or pocket), which is diminutive of “bolso(bag), “barbilla(chin), which is diminutive of “barba(beard), “mantequilla(butter), which is diminutive of “manteca(lard), and “Venezuela(Little Venice), which is diminutive of “Venecia(Venice).

The “-ico” suffix is used in some regions of Spain and the Caribbean to form some uncommon diminutives, such as “perrico,” which is a diminutive of “perro(dog) instead of the more common “perrito.”

While the aforementioned rules cover most diminutives, some words remain difficult to categorize.

For example, “nuevo(new), the diminutive of which is “nuevecito(brand-new), and “pez(fish), the diminutive of which is “pececito(small fish). Note also that the meaning sometimes changes when the word is in the diminutive form.

Regional Variations

The variation of diminutives across regions is not uncommon. For example, while the standard diminutive of the word “sol(sun) is “solecito(little sun), “solcito” is more common in Argentina.

To highlight the regional aspect of the use of diminutives, consider the term “ticos,” the name the Costa Ricans are called and proudly call themselves due to their ubiquitous use of the “-tico” ending to form diminutives. For example, “momentico,” “pizzatica,” “perritico,” “chiquitico,” etc.

Finally, when necessary, we apply orthographic changes to maintain the correct pronunciation sounds and spelling rules. These are similar to the rules we encounter in verb conjugation rules. For example:

c” to “qupocom (little)poco+-ito=poquito (very little)
chicom (small, boy)chico+-ito=chiquito (tiny, little boy)
chicaf (girl)chica+-ita=chiquita (little girl)
g” to “guamigom (friend)amigo+-ito=amiguito (little friend)
tragom (sip)trago+-ito=traguito (little sip)
z” to “clápizm (pencil)lápiz+-ito=lapicito (small pencil)
luzf (light)luz+-ecita=lucecita[3] (little light)
[3] The diminutive “lucita” is also used in some regions.


Here is a list of the most common diminutives in Spanish.

Augmentatives

Augmentatives are the opposite of diminutives. They indicate that something is large or intense, sometimes in an undesirable way. Augmentatives can apply to nouns and adjectives. In the English language, although not as versatile and common, we form augmentatives by using prefixes rather than suffixes. You can think of the prefix “super in “superpower” and “supernatural, the prefix “mega in “megaphone” and “megastore, the prefix “grand in “grandmaster” and “grandfather, the prefix “over in “overgrown” and “overqualified, and the prefix “arch in “archrival” and “archenemy.

In Spanish, we use suffixes, such as: “-ón/-ona,” “-azo/-aza,” “-ote/-ota,” “-udo/-uda,” and “-achón/-achona,” to form augmentatives. Unfortunately, there are no rules to guess which suffix to use. Practice is the only way. Thus, we will classify the augmentatives based on the meaning they convey rather than the suffix they use.

1. Augmentatives that indicate a large size

Some examples in this category include:

perrom (dog)perro+-ote=perrotem (big or mean dog)
-azo=perrazom (big or mean dog)
hombrem (man)hombre+-ón=hombrónm (big strong man)
casaf (house)casa+-ona=casonaf (big house)
animalm (animal)animal+-ote=animalotem (big or nasty animal)

2. Augmentatives that indicate intensity

Some examples in this category include:

buenom (good)bueno+-azo=buenazom (good-natured)
éxitom (success)éxito+-azo=exitazom (great success)
cochem (car)coche+-azo=cochazom (amazing car)
películaf (movie)película+-ón=peliculónm (blockbuster)

3. Augmentatives that indicate a strike or blow

The suffix “-azo” is often used to form masculine words that refer to a specific type of strike, hit, or blow. Examples in this category include:

codom (elbow)codo+-azo=codazom (elbow jab)
cabezaf (head)cabeza+-azo=cabezazom (headbutt)
martillom (hammer)martillo+-azo=martillazom (hammer blow)
misilm (missile)misil+-azo=misilazom (missile strike)

4. Augmentatives that form new words

In some cases, we form new words with their own meanings using augmentatives. Examples in this category include:

sillaf (chair)silla+-ón=sillónm (armchair)
cinturaf (waist)cintura+-ón=cinturónm (belt)
rataf (rat)rata+-ón=ratónm (mouse)
cajaf (box)caja+-ón=cajónm (drawer)
papelm (paper)papel+-ote=papelotem (worthless[4] paper)
[4] This can be literal or figurative.


Notice that in some cases, the augmentative word changes gender, often from feminine to masculine. For example, the feminine words “película,” “silla,” and “rata,” have the augmentatives: “peliculón,” “sillón,” and “ratón,” respectively, which are all masculine.

Some words have multiple augmentative forms. These forms may convey the same meaning or a different meaning. For example, the augmentatives “cabezón,” “cabezote,” and “cabezudo” all mean stubborn or big-headed. literally or figuratively. The three words are formed from the word “cabeza(head). On the other hand, the augmentative “cabezazo,” also formed from the word “cabeza,” has a different meaning, that is, a headbuttor a header (in sports).

In addition to the dropping of “o” or “a” to avoid the double vowel, some words undergo some minor changes. For example, the “ue” change to “o” in “cordón(shoelace), “portazo(door slam), and “fortachón(beefy), augmentatives of “cuerda(rope or string), “puerta(door), and “fuerte(strong), respectively. Finally, some words remain hard to guess which you must be learn by practice. For example, “grandullón(overgrown) and “favorzote(huge favor), are augmentatives of “grande(big) and “favor(favor), respectively.

Here is a list of the most common augmentatives in Spanish.

List of Diminutives and Augmentatives in Spanish

The following are two useful lists of diminutives and augmentatives in Spanish:

1. Diminutives

Spanish WordMeaning in EnglishDiminutive in SpanishMeaning in English
abajobelowabajitolittle below
abuelo/-agrandfather/-motherabuelito/-agrandpa/-ma
ahoranowahoritaright now
amigomfriendamiguitomlittle friend
amormloveamorcitomsweetie
árbolmtreearbolitomlittle tree
aviónmplaneavioncitomlittle plane
barbafbeardbarbillafchin
bolso mbagbolsillompouch or pocket
cafémcoffeecafecitomlittle coffee
callefstreetcallecitaflittle street
camiónmtruckcamioncitomlittle truck
casafhousecasitafsmall house
cercaclosecerquitapretty close
chicafsmallchiquitaflittle boy
chicomsmallchiquitomtiny
cochemcarcochecitombaby stroller
favormfavorfavorcitomlittle favor
florfflowerflorecitaf
florcitaf
small flower
fuenteffountainfuentecitafsmall fountain
gordomfatgorditomchubby
hermano/-abrother/sisterhermanito/-alittle brother/sister
hijo/-ason/daughter hijito/-alittle son/daughter
jovenm,fyoungjovencito/-ayoungster
juegomgame juguetemtoy
lagomlakelaguitomsmall lake
lápizmpencillapicitomsmall pencil
leónmlionleoncitomlittle lion
luzflightlucecitaflittle light
mamáfmommamitafmommy
manofhandmanitaflittle hand
mantecaflardmantequillafbutter
mañanafmorningmañanitafearly morning
mesaftablemesitafsmall table
momentommomentmomentitomlittle moment
niño/-achildniñito/-alittle child
nuevomnewnuevecitombrand-new
pájarombirdpajaritomsmall bird
panmbreadpancitombread roll
papámdadpapitomdaddy
pastelmcakepastelitomsmall cake
patínmskatepatinetemscooter
patomduckpatitomduckling
pedazompiecepedacitomsmall piece
perromdogperritomlittle dog
pezmfishpececitomsmall fish
pobrem,fpoorpobrecitompoor thing
pocomlittlepoquitomvery little
pollomchickenpollitomchick
puñalm daggerpuñalitomsmall dagger
ratomwhileratitomlittle while
relojmclockrelojitomsmall clock
rincónmcornerrinconcitomlittle corner
segundomsecondsegunditomlittle second
sillafchairsillitaflittle chair
solmsunsolecitomlittle sun
solo/-aalonesolito/-aall alone
suavem,fsoftsuavecito/-avery soft
tragomsiptraguitomlittle sip
tortafcaketortillaftortilla
VeneciafVeniceVenezuelafLittle Venice
verdem,fgreenverdecito/-agreenish
volcánmvolcanovolcancitomlittle volcano
zapatomshoezapatitomlittle shoe

2. Augmentatives

Spanish WordMeaning in EnglishAugmentative in SpanishMeaning in English
abrazomhugabrazotembig hug
amigomfriendamigote/-acrony or pal
animalmanimalanimalotembig or nasty animal
barrigafbellybarrigón/-ona
barrigudo/-a
paunchy or potbellied
bofetadafslapbofetónmbig slap
buenomgoodbuenazomgood-natured
cabezafheadcabezazomheader (sports) headbutt
cabezón/-ona
cabezote/-a
cabezudo/-a
big-headed
stubborn
cachetemcheekcachetón/-onaplump-cheeked
cajafboxcajónmdrawer
casafhousecasonafbig house
cinturafwaistcinturónmbelt
cochemcarcochazomamazing car
codomelbowcodazomelbow jab
cuerdafrope or stringcordónmshoelace
éxitomsuccessexitazomgreat success
favormfavorfavorzotemhuge favor
fiestafpartyfiestotafbig party
fotofphotofotazafgreat photo
fuertem,fstrongfortachón/-onabeefy
grandem,fbiggrandote/-a
grandullón/-ona
overgrown
big guy/girl
hombremmanhombrónmbig or strong man
hotelmhotelhotelazombig or fancy hotel
martillomhammermartillazomhammer blow
misilmmissilemisilazommissile strike
papelmpaperpapelotemworthless paper
películafmoviepeliculónmblockbuster
perromdogperrotem
perrazom
big or mean dog
puertafdoorportazomdoor slam
ratafratratónmmouse
sillafchairsillónmarmchair
solteromsinglesolterónmold bachelor

Quiz: Diminutives & Augmentatives in Spanish

Spanish: Diminutives & Augmentatives

1 / 8

1. What is the diminutive of the noun "casa" (house)?

SP:

 

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

2 / 8

2. What is the diminutive of the noun "amigo" (friend)?

SP:

 

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

3 / 8

3. What is the diminutive of the adjective "poco" (little)?

SP:

 

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

4 / 8

4. What is the diminutive of the noun "café" (coffee)?

SP:

 

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

5 / 8

5. What is the augmentative of the noun "casa" (house)?

SP:

 

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

6 / 8

6. What is the diminutive of the adjective "nuevo" (new)?

SP:

 

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

7 / 8

7. What is the augmentative of the noun "hombre" (man)?

SP:

 

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

8 / 8

8. What is the diminutive of the noun "mano" (hand)?

SP:

 

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

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