Spanish diminutives (-ito) and augmentatives (-ote)

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.

Spanish diminutives (-ito/-ita)

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.

However, if the noun ends in -r, -n or -e, the affix -cito is generally added: 

Some words will require spelling changes: 

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Spanish diminutives uses

The diminutives in Spanish may have the following uses: 

1. indicating something small or unimportant
2. indicating something or someone you are fond of
3. making a request or asking for something politely

1. Indicating something small or unimportant

• Tengo una casita en un pueblo cerca de Valencia. (I have a little house in a village near to Valencia.)
• María trabaja ene una escuelita. (María works in a little school < not a well-know one.)

2. Indicating something or someone you are fond of     

Mi abuelito se llama Miguel. (My beloved grandfather is called Miguel.)

3. Making a request or asking for something politely

• Espere un momentito, señor. (Wait just a moment, Sir.)
• ¿Puedo tomar un cafecito? (May I have a (little) cup of coffee, please?)

The diminutive form can also be used to strenghten an adverb or make changes to an adjective

  Examples: 

• Cerca de (adv): El parque esta cerquita de mi casa. (The park is really close to my house.)
• Gordo (adj): Te has puesto gordito! (You gained weight!)

Other Spanish diminutive endings

In addition to -ito/-ita, there are other endings which can be used to create the dimutive form of Spanish nouns: 

Spanish augmentatives 

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.

The -ón augmentative ending is not to be confused with nouns ending in -ón.

  Examples: 

•   El rincón (corner)
•   La razón (reason)

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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.