The God Named Leo

✧ Formation ✧

· The diminutives suffixes are added most commonly to nouns, and the possible suffixes are:

-ito, -ita: the most common and standard. It has the variations -cito and -ecito.

Silla -> Sillita

Coche -> Cochecito

Juego -> Jueguecito

The reason why this and the following suffixes have variations will be explained in a different post!

-illo, -illa: particularly common in Andalusia and parts of South America. It has the variations -cillo and -ecillo.

Perro -> Perillo

Baile -> Bailecillo

Pan -> Panecillo

-ico, -ica: particularly common in Central America, the Caribbean, and a few Spanish regions. It has the variations -cico and -ecico.

Conejo -> Conejico

Diente -> Dientecico

Mujer -> Mujercica

-Ín, -ina: more restricted in its usage, although some frequently used words can have this suffix. It has the variations –cín and -ecín.

Rato -> Ratín

Momento -> Momentín

Chiquito -> Chiquitín

Pelo -> Pelín

This last one is very commonly found in the expression "un pelín" (a little bit). Mueve el jarrón un pelín a la derecha, que me estorba un poco. - Move the vase just a little to the right, it's getting in my way a bit.

-ete, -eta: more restricted in usage. It can also express that the thing in question is of little importance. It has the variations -cete and -ecete.

Novia -> Novieta

Película -> Peliculeta

Molino -> Molinete

-uelo, -uela: more restricted in usage. It expresses that the thing in question is of little importance. It has the variants –zuelo and -ezuelo.

Arroyo -> Arroyuelo

Ladrón -> Ladronzuelo

Puerta -> Portezuela

It is believed that Venezuela has this very same diminutive. Some historians say that when Amerigo Vespucci arrived to what would become Venezuela, the land reminded him of Venice, so he called it Veneziola ("Little Venice"), which in turn was translated to Spanish as Venezuela.

· It is possible to add these diminutives to other parts of speech. The two most common are:

- Adjectives: The diminutive suffix usually softens the quality of the adjective.

Bajo -> Bajito

Guapo -> Guapillo

Tonto -> Tontito

Some of these are diminutives are used when you don't want to directly call someone the word itself. "Bajito" and "tontito" are less offensive than "bajo" and "tonto". "Guapillo" also has the connotation of "kind of", and can be used if you don't find the person pretty enough (but not ugly either), or if you don't want to fully admit that the person is indeed very pretty. In all cases tho, the diminutive is there to say something indirectly.

- Adverbs: There are fewer adverbs with diminutive forms. You can say “poquito” or “muchito,” but not “masito” or "menosito".

Ahora -> Ahorita

Cerca -> Cerquita

Lejos -> Lejitos

Despacio -> Despacito

Rápido -> Rapidito

Cuidado -> Cuidadito

Poco -> Poquito

In these cases, the diminutive form can serve to soften the quality expressed by the adverb, to convey a certain friendliness toward the speaker, or to express irony. La sopa está un poquito salada, pero no pasa nada, casi no noto la sal. -The soup is a little salty, but it's okay, I can barely taste the salt. <- The "poquito" also has the meaning of "a little bit", but in this case it's used as an attempt at making the cook not feel bad for having added more salt than needed. Corta el papel despacito para que no te equivoques. <- Something you could say to a child to sound more friendly, or just in a colloquial environment. ¡Venga, rapidito! Que se nos va a hacer tarde. <- The opposite of the previous one. Here "rapidito" has somewhat of a rude connotation - the speaker is impatient and wants things done quickly.

✧ Usage ✧

· Diminutives have the following uses:

- To indicate that something is small.

He visto un pajarillo bebiendo agua del estanque. Creo que me hubiera cabido en la palma de la mano de lo chiquito que era. - I saw a little bird drinking water from the pond. I think it could have fit in the palm of my hand, it was so tiny.

- To inspire affection, warmth, or compassion. In these cases, the literal meaning of “small” is lost, so the word with the diminutive suffix doesn’t necessarily have to be small in size.

Todos los findes de semana nuestros padres nos llevan a ver a la abuelita. - Every weekend our parents take us to visit Grandma.

- To indicate contempt or insignificance, or that something is of poor quality.

Bah, me compré este vestidillo porque estaba de rebajas pero ya se está descosiendo, demasiado barato era. - Oh well, I bought this stupid dress because it was on sale, but it's already coming apart at the seams, it really was too cheap.

No te angusties por eso, es un problemilla de nada. Ya verás cómo se resuelve solo. - Don’t worry about it, it’s just a minor problem. You’ll see how it resolves itself.

- To express courtesy or humility.

Dicen que les gustaría pasar un ratito con vosotros, si no estáis muy ocupados ahora. - They say they’d like to spend a little while with you, if you’re not too busy right now.

¿Le gustaría tomar algo? ¿Una tacita de té, algunas galletitas? - Would you like something to drink? A cup of tea, some biscuits?

- To express irony or frustration.

¡Menuda tardecita llevo! Voy de problema en problema. Hoy por la noche voy a tomarme un descanso bien merecido. - What a terrible afternoon I’m having! I’m going from one problem to the next. Tonight I’m going to take a well-deserved break.

¡Vaya con el cochecito que se ha comprado! Es tan grande que no le cabe en el garaje. - Look at that car he bought! It’s so big it doesn’t fit in the garage.

· Do note that context is very important in these cases. While in "Hoy hace una nochecita de verano espléndida" ("It's a splendid little summer night tonight") the diminutive "nochecita" has a positive connotation, in "¡Hay que ver la nochecita que llevo! No he pegado ojo" ("Just look at the night I've had! I haven't slept a wink") it's used negatively.

· Also, some diminutives might not have an affectionate connotation at all. The word "españolito", for example, is exclusively used to mock nationalistic Spaniards.

· Similarly, not all words that end in these suffixes are diminutives, or they might have been diminutives in the past, but their meaning has become so removed from its etymology that they can't be considered diminutives as such. A "bolsillo" is not a "small bag" but a "pocket", "gatillo" can mean "little cat" and "trigger", and while "rodilla" does come from "rueda" ("wheel"), the connection between the two is lost in the vast majority of Spanish speakers.

· And one last thing - the frequency of diminutives varies depending on the region and the situation. In Latin America diminutives are more common across all age groups, while in Spain they have a more restricted use in comparison, and if used incorrectly they might sound childish.

✧ Final note ✧