What are DIMINUTIVES?

Diminutives are suffixes (i.e. little particles that are attached  to the root of a word).

By adding a diminutive suffix to a noun, adjective, adverb or even a name, we can convey ideas of smallness, affection, irony, ridicule, humor or pity.

Common Spanish diminutives:

RULES

The two main diminutives are -ito and -illo,

 A  In most cases, we just drop the final vowel and add -ito or -illo.

Examples:

 B  One-syllable words that end in a consonant take -ecito or -ecillo:
 

Examples:

pan bread	panecillo bread roll
pez fish	pececillo little fish

 C  Those words that have more than one syllable and end in E, N, R or a stress vowel add -cito or -cillo:

Examples:

pobre poor	probrecito poor thing
mujer woman	mujercita little woman
mamá mother	mamacita cute little mommy
	(sexual connotation, usually said as a complement to a beautiful lady)

 

 

 

 D  -illo, -cillo, -ecillo, -uelo, -zuelo, -ezuelo express diminutiveness, lowness, scorn or ridicule.

 

Examples:

mujer woman	mujerzuela female prostitute
mujer woman	mujercilla little woman
	(negative connotation)