Today is Wednesday and we are going to learn how to make the diminutives in Spanish. The diminutives are not only used to show the size of something, but also to indicate affection.

Let’s start by taking a look at six groups of words. Pay attention to their suffix.

Group 01 = Isabelita – Angelito – ahorita – niñito
Group 02 = despacito – mujercita – corazoncito – pobrecito
Group 03 = florecita – reyecito – bestiecita – pueblecito
Group 04 = chiquilla – jaboncillo – estampilla – cigarrillo
Group 05 = jovencilla – jaboncillo – nubecilla – cochecillo
Group 06 = friecillo – hierbecilla – redecilla – panecillo

As you may have noticed, the diminutive is formed with suffixes “-ito(a)”, “-cito(a)”, “-ecito(a)”, “-illo(a)”, “-cillo(a)” and “-ecillo(a)”.

a) Suffixes “-ito(a)” and “illo(a)” are added to words ending in “a” or “o” (which are removed after the suffix is added) and the ones ending in consonants, with the exception of “n” and “r”.

b) Suffixes “-cito(a)” and “-cillo(a)” are added to words ending in “e” and consonants “n” and “r”.

c) Suffixes “-ecito(a)” and “-ecillo(a)” are added to words with one syllable ending in consonants or “y”, to two syllable words whose first syllable has diphthongs “ei”, “ie” or “ue”, to two syllable words whose last syllable has the diphthong “ia”, “io” or “ua” and many other two syllable words that end in “-ío”.

d) Besides these suffixes you will also find ‘-ín(a)”, “-zuelo(a)”, “-ezuelo(a)”, “-ico(a)”, “-ete(a)”.

e) The suffixes “-ito(a)” and “-cito(a)” are, in general, the most employed when forming the diminutive form of names:

Carmen – Carmencita
Pedro – Pedrito
Adolfo – Adolfito
Sandra – Sandrita
Inés – Inesita
Ana – Anita

See also:

Diminutivo de los Nombres Propios

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