Spanish diminutives and augmentatives: -ito, -illo, -ón, -azo
Short answer: add -ito / -ita to make something small or dear: casa → casita, “little house”. Words ending in -e, -n or -r take -cito: café → cafecito. For big, use -ón (casona); for a hit or a great one, -azo (golazo). Spaniards use these constantly, mostly for warmth rather than size.
The size dial · pick a word, then a size
-ona-otabase-ita-illa
casita ·
unaacasitalittle-houseeninla playathe beach
OO-nah kah-SEE-tah en lah PLAH-yah · “a little house on the beach”Why:Drop the final vowel and add -ita; feminine, like casa.
Forming the diminutive
Which ending: -ito, -cito or -ecito
A suffix is an ending added to a word. The diminutive suffix keeps the word’s gender (masculine -ito, feminine -ita) and its number (-itos, -itas). Which version you use depends on how the word ends. Follow the steps.
1
Ends in -o or -a: drop it, add -ito / -ita.
2
Ends in -e, -n or -r: keep it, add -cito / -cita.
3
Ends in another consonant: add -ito / -ita.
4
One syllable: add -ecito / -ecita.
5
Keep the sound: c → qu, g → gu, z → c.
What -ito really means
Small, dear, soft or sharp
Size is only one use. Most diminutives in conversation add warmth, make a request softer, or, with the right tone, add irony. The same ending does all four.
Small
VivoI-liveeninunapueblecito.little-village
BEE-boh en oon pweh-bleh-THEE-toh · “I live in a little village.”Plain size: pueblo → pueblecito.
Dear
¡Quéhowbonitoprettytuyourperrito!doggy
keh boh-NEE-toh too peh-RREE-toh · “What a lovely little dog you have!”Affection: the dog may not be small at all.
Softer
Esperawaitunamomentito.little-moment
es-PEH-rah oon moh-men-TEE-toh · “Hang on a sec.”Softens a request; in Mexico, ahorita means “in a bit” (or never).
Ironic
¡Vayawhatregalito!little-gift
BAH-yah rreh-gah-LEE-toh · “Some present that is!”Said of something big or unwelcome, tone does the work.
Regional flavours
-illo in Sevilla, -ico in Bogotá, -iño in Galicia
-ito is understood everywhere, but each region has a favourite. Hearing one tells you where a speaker is from. Tap a row to hear un momento, “a moment”, in that region’s style.
Augmentatives
-ón, -ote, -azo: making things bigger
Augmentatives exaggerate. -ón and -ote make something big, often clumsy or impressive. -azo does two jobs: a huge, great one (un cochazo, an amazing car), or a blow with the thing (un portazo, a door slam).
-ón / -onaBig, often impressive or grand.
-ote / -otaBig and a bit rough, often fond.
-azo / -azaA great one, or a blow with it.
New words, new meanings
Words that started as diminutives
Some diminutives became words of their own, with a meaning you cannot guess from the original. Learn them as separate vocabulary.