The suffixes -ITO/-ITA can be attached to nouns to make things smaller, and trust me when I say that we use them a lot.
In other Spanish dialects the suffixes are either -ILLO/-ILLA or -ICO/-ICA, but here it’s all about -ITO/-ITA.
Have ‘-ITOs’ already come across your path? There are thousands of endorphin triggers titled ‘videos de gatitos y perritos’ on social media, for example.
When we need someone for a quick question we ask:
- ¿Tenés un minutito? | ¿Tenés un segundito? | ¿Tenés un ratito?
My favourite use of diminutives is when we use them in a ‘shall we’ style. We apply them to a word to make guilty pleasures cute and harmless.
- ¿Abrimos un vinito?
- ¿Tomamos una cervecita?
- ¿Vamos a tomar un heladito?
- ¿Armamos un porrito?
- ¿Compramos unas facturitas?
- ¿Hacemos una picadita?
- ¿Querés un cafecito?
- ¿Comemos un asadito?
Still, diminutives can be heard in all contexts, beyond these examples.
Remember that when a word ends in e, i, u without accent or n, r, they must have the suffix -CITO/-CITA
- callecita
- calorcito
- ratoncito
That’s all for today. Time to put this down to use!
Happy Spanish learning,
You might also want to read these articles:
- Ni la más p*ta ideaWhat do you say (informally) when you don’t have the faintest idea?
- Negative thoughtsCoping with negative thoughts is part of learning a language. A really decisive one, I’d say.
- Everyday Expressions with “¡Qué…!”Learn some cool expressions with Argentinian seasoning!
- Venture Out has its song!AI takes many shapes. The latest is Venture Out’s jingle.
- Binomial Pairs IIThis is part II of binomial pairs. Today it’s all about repetition. Today is all about repetition.
- 1 year of ‘Traé Alfajores’Traé Alfajores has turned a year, and it’s time to put some thought into it.