The Animated Book
of SpanishGrammar Reference

Spanish Diminutives

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

Add -ito or -ita to a word and it becomes smaller, cuter, or friendlier: casa → casita (little house). Diminutives are everywhere in everyday Spanish, especially in Latin America.

  • Vivimos en una casita en el campo.

    We live in a little house in the country.

  • Espera un momentito.

    Wait just a moment.

  • ¿Quieres un cafecito?

    Would you like a coffee?

On this page

How to form them

The ending depends on how the word ends. These patterns cover most words:

  • Ends in -o or -a: drop it, add -ito or -ita
  • perrodog
    ,
    perritopuppy, doggy
  • casahouse
    ,
    casitalittle house
  • abuelagrandma
    ,
    abuelitagranny
  • Ends in most consonants: add -ito or -ita
  • árboltree
    ,
    arbolitolittle tree
  • papelpaper
    ,
    papelitoscrap of paper
  • Ends in -e, -n, or -r: add -cito or -cita
  • cafécoffee
    ,
    cafecitolittle coffee
  • jovenyoung man
    ,
    jovencitoyoung lad
  • mujerwoman
    ,
    mujercitalittle woman
  • One syllable: add -ecito or -ecita
  • panbread
    ,
    panecitobread roll
  • florflower
    ,
    florecitalittle flower

Gender and plurals

A diminutive keeps the gender of the original word, and takes an -s in the plural like any other noun.

  • El gatito duerme en la sillita.

    The kitten is sleeping on the little chair.

  • Mis hijos tienen dos perritos.

    My kids have two puppies.

  • Compramos unas galletitas para el viaje.

    We bought some cookies for the trip.

Spelling changes

Some words change a letter to keep their sound before the i, just like with -ísimo.

  • c → qu
  • pocoa little
    ,
    poquitoa tiny bit
  • chicosmall, boy
    ,
    chiquitotiny, little boy
  • g → gu
  • amigofriend
    ,
    amiguitolittle friend, buddy
  • z → c
  • tazacup
    ,
    tacitalittle cup
  • lápizpencil
    ,
    lapicitolittle pencil

What they really mean

Diminutives don't always mean small. Often they're about how you feel about something, or about sounding friendlier.

  1. Small size

    The basic meaning: a smaller version of something.

    • Tienen un perrito blanco.

      They have a little white dog.

    • Pon las llaves en la mesita.

      Put the keys on the side table.

  2. Affection

    For people and things you love, whatever their size.

    • Voy a visitar a mi abuelita.

      I’m going to visit my granny.

    • Buenas noches, mi amorcito.

      Good night, sweetheart.

  3. Softening a request

    A diminutive makes a request sound smaller, so it’s more polite.

    • ¿Me das un poquito de agua?

      Could I have a bit of water?

    • Espérame un segundito.

      Give me just a second.

  4. Emphasis

    On adjectives and adverbs, it can mean “nice and…” or “really.”

    • La playa está cerquita.

      The beach is really close.

    • Habla despacito, por favor.

      Speak nice and slow, please.

Names

Diminutives are a common way to make a name more affectionate, especially for children. Names ending in -s keep it on the end.

  • Juanitofrom Juan
  • Anitafrom Ana
  • Carlitosfrom Carlos
  • Luisitofrom Luis

Not so small anymore

Some words started out as diminutives but now have their own meaning, and nobody thinks of them as small versions of anything.

  • señoritaMiss, young woman
  • bolsillopocket (from bolsa)
  • mantequillabutter
  • zapatillasneaker, slipper
  • bocadillosandwich (Spain)
  • palomitaspopcorn

Common mistakes English speakers make

  1. Using -ito on a word that takes -cito

    Incorrect:¿Quieres un cafeíto?
    Correct:¿Quieres un cafecito?

    Words ending in -e, -n, or -r usually take -cito.

  2. Forgetting c → qu

    Incorrect:Solo un pocito.
    Correct:Solo un poquito.

    Before i, a hard c is spelled qu.

  3. Keeping z before i

    Incorrect:Una tazita de té.
    Correct:Una tacita de té.

    Spanish rarely writes zi, so z becomes c.

  4. Keeping the old accent

    Incorrect:Un árbolito.
    Correct:Un arbolito.

    The stress moves to the ending, so the accent on á goes away.

  5. Changing the gender

    Incorrect:El casito es muy bonito.
    Correct:La casita es muy bonita.

    A diminutive keeps the gender of the original word. Casa is feminine, so it's la casita.

Questions about diminutives

What are diminutives in Spanish?

Endings like -ito and -ita that make a word smaller, cuter, or softer: casa → casita (little house), perro → perrito (puppy, doggy), momento → momentito (just a moment).

How do you form diminutives in Spanish?

For most words ending in -o or -a, drop the vowel and add -ito or -ita: libro → librito. Words ending in -e, -n, or -r usually take -cito: café → cafecito, joven → jovencito. Most one-syllable words take -ecito: pan → panecito.

When do you use -cito instead of -ito?

Mostly with words ending in -e, -n, or -r: coche → cochecito, canción → cancioncita, amor → amorcito. There's some regional variation, so you may hear both forms of some words.

Do diminutives only mean "small"?

No. They also show affection (abuelita), make a request sound softer (¿Me das un poquito?), or add emphasis (cerquita, "really close"). Often they just make speech sound friendlier.

What does ahorita mean?

Literally "right now," but it depends on the country. In Mexico it can mean "right now" or "in a little while," and context tells you which. In the Caribbean it can even mean "later."

Next upDirect object pronounsMe, te, lo, la, nos, los, las: what a direct object is, where the pronoun goes, and the personal a.

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