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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In recent years I have worked as an Academic Director at a Language School in northern Spain. My job duties there included designing intensive Spanish & English courses for beginners’, intermediate and advanced levels, as well as teaching both on-site and via Skype. This constant interest has allowed me to become familiar with techniques and tools that are essential in today´s second language learning, such as the materials used by the Cervantes Institute and the most renowned publications and blogs in the field of language teaching. Most particularly, I have made extensive use of audiovisuals and creative writing activities in order to develop consistent, effective courses.
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