Diminutives and Augmentatives, A lesson about the -itas, -itos, and -óns of Spanish

In the Spanish language, diminutives and augmentatives are common to hear in everyday conversations. In fact, they are so common that you probably hear them in every sentence spoken.

What are diminutives and augmentatives? They are word endings that can be linked to a word to make it seem smaller or larger. Examples: –cito/a, -ito/a (as in panCITO, casITA,) or –ón/ona (as in huevón, llorONA).

The diminutive form is more commonly used, but you will hear the augmentatives used on occasion, although most often when the augmentative form is used, the meaning of the word changes (huevo means egg, but huevón most often will be used as a slang word for idiot, although it’s not as common in Argentina as in Chile or Colombia).

In English, diminutives aren’t as common, and closest thing we have to it would be something that resembles baby-talk (fishy, daddy, horsey, etc…) or adding ‘little’ before a noun. But really, that doesn’t do the diminutives in Spanish any justice. A lot of people are reluctant to use too many –itos and –itas, because it feels a little… cutesy, but in Spanish, it doesn’t give off that vibe at all.

Diminutives can also be used as a term of endearment—you might have heard people call each other by Pablito or Lucita. Sometimes these are names that an individual was referred to as a kid, and it just stuck with them, but a lot of the time it is used in any given conversation as a term of endearment (In English, it’d be something like Maggie for Margaret, or Robby for Robert). Dónde está Pablito? (Where is little Pablo?) Or Pobre Lucita, está enferma (Poor little Lucia, she’s sick.)

For more Spanish tips and helpful phrases in Spanish. Now get out there and cutesy-fy some palabritas !