grammar.nouns.diminutives
Diminutives: -ito, -ita and friends
-ito/-ita shrinks, softens, or endears: casita, momentito, ahorita. Hugely frequent in Latin America, with regional favorites (-ico, -illo, -ingo).
grammarB1v0.1.0
Erklärung
Formation: drop a final vowel, add -ito/-ita (casa → casita); words in -n/-r or -e often take -cito (joven → jovencito, café → cafecito). Spelling adjusts: poco → poquito, amigo → amiguito.
Meaning goes far beyond size: politeness (un momentito), affection (mi hijita), attenuation (está gordito), and time nuance (ahorita — whose meaning famously varies by country). Bolivia adds -ingo in Santa Cruz speech: chiquitingo.
Beispiele
Espérame un ratito.
Wait for me a little moment.
Wait for me a little moment.
Region: global
¿Tomamos un cafecito?
Shall we have a (nice little) coffee?
Shall we have a (nice little) coffee?
Region: global