Diminutives: -ito, -ita and friends

Explanation

Diminutives shrink, soften, or add affection to a noun, and they are extremely frequent in Latin American Spanish. The default suffix is -ito/-ita: casa → casita, momento → momentito, perro → perrito. Words ending in -e, -n, or -r often take -cito/-cita: café → cafecito, joven → jovencito.

Spelling adjusts at the seam to keep the sound: poco → poquito, amigo → amiguito, chica → chiquita, luz → lucecita. Other regional suffixes exist: -illo, -ico (Caribbean, parts of Colombia), and in Santa Cruz (Bolivia) the local -ingo: chiquitingo.

Crucially, the meaning goes far beyond size. Diminutives convey politeness (un momentito, ¿me das una ayudita?), affection (mi hijita, abuelita), softening (está gordito, es feíto), and nuance of time — ahorita famously ranges from 'right now' to 'later' depending on the country.

Examples

Related rules

• Augmentatives: -azo, -ón, -ote
• Building nouns: -ería, -ero, -ista, -ción, -miento