diminutive terminations  



Gramática
Suffixes called diminutives are added to words to indicate
smallness, affection, humor, pity, irony, or ridicule.
Some common diminutives are:
-ito, -cito, -ecito, -illo, -cillo, -ecillo

Note that diminutives change to match the gender and
number of the word they modify.

For most words, we drop the final vowel and add
-ito or -illo.

Examples:
ahora - now ---> ahorita - right now
hermano - brother ---> hermanito - little brother
Juana - Jean ---> Juanita - Jeannie

Gramática
Words with more than one syllable that end in E, N, R,
or a stressed vowel take -cito or -cillo:

Examples:
una joven - young girl ---> jovencita - young lady
mamá - mama ---> mamacita - mommy
pintor - painter ---> pintorcito - poor painter
pobre - poor ---> pobrecito - poor little thing

Words with one syllable that end in a consonant take
-ecito or -ecillo.

Examples:
flor - flower ---> florecita - little flower
pan - bread ---> panecillo - little bread (roll)

Gramática

Examples:
There are also some spelling changes related to diminutives,
which are similar to those that occur with spelling-change
verbs and noun plurals (learn more):

Examples:
chica - girl ---> chiquita - little girl
Diego - James ---> Dieguito - Jimmy
pedazo - piece ---> pedacito - little piece

Sentences with ito(s), ita(s)
Mi hermanita tiene dos años. - My little sister is 2 years old.
El perrito es blanco. - The doggy is white.
La gatita es negra. - The kitten is black.
El dedito del niño es gordito. - The boys little finger is a little fat.
Las casitas están caritas. - The little houses are a little expensive.
La casita es bonita. - The little house is pretty.

Sentences with ecito(s), ecita(s)
Las florecitas son rojas. - The little flowers are red.
Ella tiene una vocecita muy suave. - She has a little soft voice.
El peinecito es de madera. - The little comb is made out wood.
El panecito es de harina. - The little bread roll is made out of flour.
Los pececitos nadan en la laguna. - The little fish swim in the lagoon.

Sentences with ecillo(s), ecilla(s)
La reinecilla dio la orden de sembrar flores. - The little queen gave the order to plant flowers.
El geniecillo concedió tres deseos. - The little genie gave three wishes.
Las redecillas se rompieron. - The little nets broke.
Hubo friecillo. - It was a little cold.

Sentences with illo, illa
Las estatuillas fueron dadas a las mejores películas. - The little statues were give to the best movies.
Le coloque vinagrillo a la ensalada. - I put little vinegar to the salad.
Las manillas de la niña estaban lodosas. - The little hands of the girl were muddy.
La chiquilla es hija de Rosa. - The little girl is Rosa's daughter.

Sentences with cito(s), cita(s)
Los jaboncitos son aromáticos. - The little soaps are fragrant.
Juan es mi amorcito. - Juan is my little love.
La pobrecita no comió. - The poor thing didn't eat.
La jovencita llega con su hermanito. - The young lady arrives with her little brother.
Las plantas están verdecitas. - The plants are a little green.
Las florecitas son blancas. - The little flowers are white.

Notes for the Tutor

  • The student should repeat these simple sentences to practice vocabulary and improve pronunciation.
  • The tutor should help the student form his or her own sentences.
  • Suggested Homework:The student should prepare 5 sentences or more practicing the use of the DIMINUTIVE.

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