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Spanish Grammar: Suffixes
In Spanish, various suffixes are often added to nouns and adjectives, and even a few adverbs in order to express different degrees of smallness (or largeness).
These suffixes are of two types: augmentatives, which originally implied an increase in size, and diminutives, which implied a decrease in size. From this original idea there developed all types of shades of meaning, which are frequently difficult or even impossible to render into English.
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augmentatives
The most common augmentative suffixes are -ón, -azo, -ote, and -acho, which imply large size, ugliness, or awkwardness.
un hombre (a man) |
un hombrón (a great big man) |
una mujer (a woman) |
una mujerona (a great big woman) |
un señor (a gentleman) |
un señorón (an important gentleman) |
mucho (much) |
muchazo (quite a bit) |
pobre (poor) |
pobretón (quite poor) |
Sometimes augmentative suffixes take on a diminutive meaning:
una isla (an island) |
un islote (an islet) |
una cámara (a hall) |
un camarote (a cabin or stateroom) |
una calle (a street) |
un callejón (a narrow street) |
Sometimes an augmentative either adds a moral value or takes away from the value of something.
un padre (a father) |
un padrazo (a very indulgent father) |
un libro (a book) |
un libraco (a horrid book) |
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diminutives
The diminutive suffixes are much more common than the augmentative ones, and they are very important in understanding the correct shades of meaning implied. The most common ones are -ito, -cito, -ecito; -illo, -cillo, -ecillo; -uelo; -uco; and -ucho. The endings -ito, -illo and their longer forms, and -uelo, denote smallness of size, endearment, and affection. They are used with nouns and adjectives.
casa (house) |
casita (pretty little house) |
pájaro (bird) |
pajarillo or pajarito (tiny little bird) |
jardín (garden) |
jardincito (tiny little garden) |
pueblo (town) |
pueblecito or pueblito (little town, village) |
solo (alone) |
solito (all alone) |
pobre (poor man) |
pobrecito (poor little fellow, poor old fellow) |
| viejo (old man) |
viejecito or viejito (little old man) |
plaza (square) |
plazuela (little square) |