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What Are Spanish Suffixes
What Are Spanish Suffixes
In this article, we're going to look at the type of suffix that changes the shade
of meaning: diminutive, augmentative, and pejorative. Then we’re going to list
a load of suffixes that group together certain types of words. Ready? Let's go!
Diminutive
A diminutive suffix is used to make a noun seem cuter, smaller, or less
significant. There are several diminutive suffixes in Spanish, so let’s look at
some of them one by one
-ito/-ita
-ito often denotes smallness.
This suffix can be used to add a warm tone to a noun. It makes everything a
little less harsh.
A cool way to use this suffix is when you’re not really saying anything about
the noun at all! You’re actually just using the cutesy language to convey a
warm, friendly attitude to whoever you’re speaking to.
-ico/-ica
This is a versión of -ito that’s used in some Latin American countries, such as
Colombia and Venezuela, as well as some parts of northern Spain.
-illo/-illa
You’ll hear this one a lot in Southern Spain. The most obvious use is to refer
to something smaller.
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Sometimes we want to say something but we’re worried it might come across
rude, so we use -illo.
¡Mentiroso! Liar!
¡Mentirosillo! Fibber!
Some nouns have -illo/-illa on the end to refer to a specific sub-type of that
noun.
-uelo/-uela
This suffix is used to create a word for a smaller version of something.
-eto/-eta
When you end a noun with this suffix, you can be referring to a specialized
version of it.
-ete
This one can be used in the same way as -eto.
-ín/-ina
This is used most in Asturias, Spain usually as an expression of affection.
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Augmentative
There aren’t that many augmentative suffixes in Spanish, and they all do
pretty much the same thing, which is to show intensity or largeness. Quite
often, there’s also a pejorative (insulting) undertone implying awkwardness,
unpleasantness, or the idea of ~too much~.
ón/ona
Sometimes you can add –azo to an object to denote a physical clash with that
object.
-ote/-ota
Shows largeness, with pejorative undertones.
-udo
Shows largeness, with pejorative undertones.
Pejorative
When we say that something is pejorative, we mean that it’s insulting or
derogatory. It’s certainly not nice!
-miento/-mienta
This one turns a verb into a noun.
-mente
We can add -mente to an adjective to form an adverb.
-oso/osa, -al
These usually give us adjectives from nouns.
-ante
This suffix gives us a noun or adjective from a verb.
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-ero/-era
This suffix can be used to show the place where something is kept.
It’s also often used to refer to professions. There are several others that do
the same thing: -dor(a)/-ista/-ario/a. Let’s look at some examples.
*Job titles with -ista are interesting because they always end in a! It would be
incorrect to call it a dentisto or a pianisto, even if it’s a man. Stick
to dentista and pianista.
-ería
Many of the words ending in -ería are names of types of shop/service. They
can usually be traced back quite easily to a verb or noun.
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A lot of Spanish suffixes are cognates, meaning that the Spanish and English
look very similar, which will help you recognize them! Check out the
similarities in some of these:
poroso porous
funcional functional
violinista violinist
actuario actuary
panadería bakery
Great job!
There are so many suffixes (more than we’ve been able to mention here), that
it’d be foolish to try and learn them all at once. Why not try reading a
paragraph from an article in a Spanish-language newspaper or novel, and
circling all the suffixes you recognize? Happy reading!