Teaching Suffixes to Learners of Spanish

There are several suffixes which prove the above statement either by adding a feeling of caring, cuteness or an addition or subtraction of size and importance to the object. Each one, when added to the end of a word changes its meaning. The four I will focus on change a word from something very big to very small and vice versa. These four suffixes are used with nouns.

Suffixes which change a word into something smaller or cuter than the original word are called diminutives. Such suffixes are ones like ‘ito, ‘illo’ and ‘in.’ The most commonly used of these suffixes is ‘ito.’ When added to a root word such as gato (cat), becoming gatito, it conveys that this is a small cat, or a cat for which you have a great deal of cariño (affection). Other suffixes can apply to this word, giving it the same general meaning: gatillo.

The suffixes for superlatives work in the same fashion. These suffixes are added onto the end of nouns to show the prowess or large size of the object. A dog, in Spanish, is perro. If you add ‘ote’ (Spanish does not double vowels so you would just add ‘te’), a regular sized perro becomes a super perrote. The same can be done with the suffix ‘on.’ A simple family fiesta, with this suffix will become a huge ‘fiestón.’

More emphasis on the grand size or petiteness of the object can be placed by doubling the suffix. For example, gatito would become gatitito (with accent on the middle syllable). The same can be used for the superlatives making perrote into perrotote. In the same way, a ‘fiestón’ could become a ‘fiestonón.’ The diminutives can be treated the same way. A baby shoe, or zapato could be called a zapatito, or for a newborn a zapatitito.

Notice that if there is a final vowel in the initial root word, it is usually dropped when adding these suffixes. The end of the suffix is usually masculine (ending in o), unless the root word is feminine (ending in a). In the case of a feminine root word, the suffixes also become feminine. Ito becomes ita and illo becomes illa; ote becomes ota, and on becomes ona. Along the same lines, when doubling up on the suffixes, the final vowel of the suffix is also dropped before it is doubled. Although there are two or more suffixes that you can choose to give emphasis to the size or importance of a root word, the two that are used most frequently and by far are ‘ito’ and ‘ote.’