Spanish diminutives (-ito) and augmentatives (-ote)
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When altering words to indicate smallness or show affection, this is know as diminutive. On the other side, augmentative nouns indicate something large or undesirable.
To form a diminutive, you need to drop the -o or -a from any noun and add -ito / -ita, which is the most common diminutive ending.
Unaltered noun | Diminutive form |
---|---|
Gato (cat) | Gatito (kitten) |
Chico (boy) | Chiquito (cute little boy) |
Casa (house) | Casita (little house) |
Abuela (grandmother) | Abuelita (little cute granny) |
However, if the noun ends in -r, -n or -e, the affix -cito is generally added:
Unaltered noun | Diminutive form |
---|---|
Ratón (mouse) | Ratoncito (little mouse) |
Café (coffee) | Cafecito (small quantity of coffee) |
Lugar (place) | Lugarcito (little or beloved place) |
Some words will require spelling changes:
Unaltered noun | Diminutive form |
---|---|
Chica (girl) | Chiquita (little girl) |
Lago (lake) | Laguito (little lake) |
Pedazo (piece) | Pedacito (little piece) |
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The diminutives in Spanish may have the following uses:
Mi abuelito se llama Miguel. (My beloved grandfather is called Miguel.)
The diminutive form can also be used to strenghten an adverb or make changes to an adjective
Examples:
In addition to -ito/-ita, there are other endings which can be used to create the dimutive form of Spanish nouns:
Ending | Unaltered noun | Diminutive form |
---|---|---|
-illo / -illa -cillo / -cilla | Bolso (bag) Calzón (shorts) | Bolsillo (pocket) Calzoncillos (underpants) |
-ete / -eta | Amigo (friend) | Amiguete (little friend) |
-ico / -ica | Beso (kiss) | Besico (little kiss) |
-ín / íña | Chico (boy) | Chiquitín (tiny tot) |
Unlike English, we can also augment words in Spanish, which means referring to something/someone large or giving something/somenone a derogative or pejorative meaning.
Ending | Unaltered noun | Augmentative |
---|---|---|
-ón / -ona | Mujer (woman) | Mujerona (big woman) |
-ote / -ota | Libro (book) | Librote (big book) |
-azo / -aza | Éxito (success) | Exitazo (great success) |
-acho / -acha -ucho / -ucha | Pueblo (village) Abogado (lawyer) | Poblacho* (dump town) Abogaducho (inept lawyer) |
-udo / -uda | Cabeza (head) | Cabezudo (big head) |
The -ón augmentative ending is not to be confused with nouns ending in -ón.
Examples:
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*Please note the radical change from -ue to -o. This is an exception, since in derivation radical changes not always occur.
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I met Claudia and she is very nice and motivated to learn Spanish with me. Everything went smoothly and Claudia has very good English. Thank you!
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Hi and welcome to Learning English,
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Learning can be such a fun experience to get better and better each day.
Besides having English Language and Literature Bachelor Degree and
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Hello, Spanish learner! I am Isabel, your Spanish teacher.
I am a professional online Spanish teacher for 3 years. I am a native speaker from Colombia.
My lessons are completely in Spanish because I want you to speak as much as possible. During my lessons, we will focus on conversation and pronunciation. But a typical lesson also contains a vocabulary topic and a grammar topic.
I will focus on your needs and your mistakes to improve your Spanish as quickly as possible. In the first lesson, we will do a level test to check your current level (CEFR A1, A2, B1, B2, C1)
If you would like to improve your Spanish, learn more about the South American culture, gastronomy and traditions, I am your teacher! Or if you just want to talk in Spanish, about any subject you like, I would be happy to meet you online.
Send me a message and I will provide you a 30-minute free trial lesson!
See you online on Skype.
Your Spanish teacher, Isabel
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Regarding pronunciation, I'll help you without any judgment and only if you express the need to improve!
I studied one year in Japan (Osaka) where I gave French classes at the University of Kansai. During this time, I met a lot of people from various background and I became very open-minded and comfortable with different cultures.
What I like the most in teaching French is getting to meet and know people from different cultures =)
So, I'll be waiting for you! =)
See you soon,
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Wanda is a professional native French teacher that can help you to master the language! She has a lot of experience with individual and group lessons and great learning materials.
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Cambridge Assessment preparation provided
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Who I am?
My name is Virginia, 28 years old and I work exclusively to unregulated training.
- TOEIC Diploma in English level C1
- DALF diploma in French C1
I also have a TEFL 120h Masterclass certificate (Language Teaching Training).
How do I teach?
- Audio-lingual method: Learning naturally by deduction - It is the most effective for anchoring knowledge.
- Communicative approach: I place special emphasis on interaction and the use of language in real situations.
- Total Physical Response (TPR) and educational games: Oriented towards children. Learn English in a fun and practical way.
Other important issues
- I have a lack of a history of sexual crimes (mandatory by law to work with minors in Spain) issued by the Ministry of Justice.
Any questions? Interested? Contact me!
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Virginia is smiling and supportive all the time! She speaks many languages any addition of Spanish so she's able to help if I don't understand in Spanish. She provides structured lessons with clear goals and different ways to learn. Therefore the lesson is dynamic and very efficient. She's committed to help her students and you can see it since the beginning. Many thanks Virginia!
Virginia N.
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Many thanks to you Clemence. See you! :-))))
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Thank you so much Clemence!
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Why should you choose me? Take a look at what people say who have taken online classes with me.
Book lessons with me and
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My lessons are based on conversations. My method is to help you practice the language from the very beginning in spontaneous and direct conversations, using often role plays.
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I love to teach my language ♥
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hope to see you soon :)
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