# How to use “‑ito” and “‑ita”: Your guide to Spanish diminutives

When does *café* become *cafecito*? Learn the secrets behind Spanish’s cutest suffix!

Have you ever heard someone talk about their _perrito_, _abuelita_, or _amorcito_ in Spanish? Those _‑ito_ and _‑ita_ endings are called the “diminutive”—but what exactly does it mean, and how do you use it?

Plenty of languages use diminutives, but they’re an especially important part of Spanish, so let’s discuss when to use them, how to form them, and a few other key tips!

In this post:

- [Why does Spanish use diminutives?](https://blog.duolingo.com/diminutives-in-spanish/#why-does-spanish-use-diminutives)
- [Examples of diminutive meanings](https://blog.duolingo.com/diminutives-in-spanish/#examples-of-diminutive-meanings)
- [How to form diminutives in Spanish](https://blog.duolingo.com/diminutives-in-spanish/#how-to-form-diminutives-in-spanish)
  - [The basic rule](https://blog.duolingo.com/diminutives-in-spanish/#the-basic-rule)
  - [Words ending in _‑ca_ or _‑co_](https://blog.duolingo.com/diminutives-in-spanish/#words-ending-in-%E2%80%91ca-or-%E2%80%91co)
  - [Words ending in _‑ga_ or _‑go_](https://blog.duolingo.com/diminutives-in-spanish/#words-ending-in-%E2%80%91ga-or-%E2%80%91go)
  - [Words ending in _‑za_ or _‑zo_](https://blog.duolingo.com/diminutives-in-spanish/#words-ending-in-%E2%80%91za-or-%E2%80%91zo)
  - [Words ending in _‑e_, _‑n_, or _‑r_](https://blog.duolingo.com/diminutives-in-spanish/#words-ending-in-%E2%80%91e-%E2%80%91n-or-%E2%80%91r)
  - [One-syllable words](https://blog.duolingo.com/diminutives-in-spanish/#one-syllable-words)
  - [What about _mano_?](https://blog.duolingo.com/diminutives-in-spanish/#what-about-mano)

- [A _little_ more about diminutives in Spanish](https://blog.duolingo.com/diminutives-in-spanish/#a-little-more-about-diminutives-in-spanish)
- [Overview of examples](https://blog.duolingo.com/diminutives-in-spanish/#overview-of-examples)

## Why does Spanish use diminutives?

The most basic meaning of the diminutive is “small” (it’s related to the word _diminish_), but it can also be used to say plenty of other things, including that something is cute, inconsequential, or important to you—that’s right, the same _‑ito_ or _‑ita_ ending can be used for things that aren’t important *and* things that are!

Let’s break down the different uses with some examples.

## Examples of diminutive meanings

**_Perrito_**

Perrito (from perro, “dog”) can either mean a dog **that’s literally small**, such as a puppy, or a dog **you love** or **think is cute**.

**_Abuelita_ or _abuelito_**

Abuelita (from abuela, “grandmother”) is used **to show affection** to your grandmother, kind of like “Gran” or “Granny” in English. Abuelo (grandfather) becomes abuelito for the same reason!

**_Amorcito_**

Amorcito (from amor, “love”) is usually a [sweet pet name](https://blog.duolingo.com/pet-names-in-other-languages/) to refer to **someone you love**—whether a romantic partner, a child, or a close friend. But, depending on how it’s used, it can also refer to a relationship that **isn’t very significant**, like a fling.

**_Cafecito_**

Cafecito (from café, “coffee”) might literally mean **a small amount** of coffee or, in invitations like ¡Tómate un cafecito conmigo! (Have a *[little]* coffee with me!), it can be used to **soften an invitation** or express that it **won’t take a long time**.

**_Ratito_ and _ahorita_**

Ratito (from rato, “a while”) is often used to mean “a little while,” but just like in English, depending on the tone of your voice and other contextual clues, it can either mean **a short while** or a period of time **longer** than you expected or wanted. The same is true for ahorita (from ahora, “now”), which can mean **right now** [in some contexts or cultures](https://blog.duolingo.com/how-to-tell-time-around-the-world/), or **not right away** in others!

**_Trabajito_, _librito_, and others**

These, and many other nouns, can use the diminutive to mean something that’s literally small or simple, or in a negative way to express that it’s not meaningful. For example, trabajito (from trabajo, “job/work”) can describe an **easy** job or one that’s **not time-consuming**, but it can also describe an **unimportant** or **needless** job. Librito (from libro, “book”), can refer to a **small** book, or a book **you don’t like** or **don’t take seriously**.

**Adverbs and adjectives**

The Spanish diminutive can sometimes be used with adverbs and adjectives, too! We’ve already talked about the adverb _ahora_ and its diminutive form, _ahorita_. Another example is cerquita (from cerca, “nearby”), as in Elisa vive cerquita (Elisa lives nearby), which likely means that Elisa lives **very close to you**. Adjectives like bajo (short) can become bajito in sentences like Mi novio es bajito (My boyfriend is short) to **soften the description** or make it clear that **you don’t mean it in a negative way**.

## How to form diminutives in Spanish

Now that you know how it’s used, let’s see how it’s made—and check out [the end of this post](https://blog.duolingo.com/diminutives-in-spanish/#overview-of-examples) for a table of all the examples.

### The basic rule

The most common way to form the diminutive is just to add _‑it‑_ to the end of a word, plus _‑o_ if it’s masculine, _‑a_ if it’s feminine, and _‑s_ if it’s plural:

- zapato
  (shoe) ➡️
  zapatito
  (little shoe)

- casa
  (house) ➡️
  casita
  (little house)

- zapatos
  (shoes) ➡️
  zapatitos
  (little shoes)

- casas
  (houses) ➡️
  casitas
  (little houses)

But what’s Spanish without a few exceptions? Let’s go through them one by one.

### Words ending in _‑ca_ or _‑co_

In words that end in _‑ca_ or _‑co_, the “c” turns into “qu,” so we get:

- chica
  (girl) ➡️
  chiquita
  (little girl)

- chico
  (boy) ➡️
  chiquito
  (little boy)

### Words ending in _‑ga_ or _‑go_

In words that end in _‑ga_ or _‑go_, add a “u” after the “g”:

- amiga
  (female friend) ➡️
  amiguita
  (little friend, dear friend)

- amigo
  (male friend) ➡️
  amiguito
  (little friend, dear friend)

### Words ending in _‑za_ or _‑zo_

In words that end in _‑za_ or _‑zo_, the “z” becomes “c”:

- cerveza
  (beer) ➡️
  cervecita
  (little beer)

- trozo
  (piece, such as a piece of cheese) ➡️
  trocito
  (little piece)

### Words ending in _‑e_, _‑n_, or _‑r_

Words that end in these letters often add “c” between the original word and the diminutive. Notice that the original words don’t end in _‑a_ or _‑o_, but the diminutive form of each word does, depending on the noun’s gender!

- llave
  (key) ➡️
  llavecita
  (little key)

- café
  (coffee) ➡️
  cafecito
  (little coffee)

- canción
  (song) ➡️
  cancioncita
  (little song)

- camión
  (truck) ➡️
  camioncito
  (little truck)

- mujer
  (woman) ➡️
  mujercita
  (little woman)

- amor
  (love) ➡️
  amorcito
  (little love)

### One-syllable words

Most words that are only one syllable also add “c” before the diminutive suffix. [In some dialects](https://blog.duolingo.com/spanish-dialects/), they may add “ec” instead of “c.”

- flor
  (flower) ➡️
  florcita
  or
  florecita
  (little flower)

- sol
  (sun) ➡️
  solcito
  or
  solecito
  (little sun)

### What about _mano_?

Mano (hand) is a special case! It’s a feminine noun (for example, you’d say la mano izquierda, which means “the left hand”), but it ends in _‑o_, so should the diminutive be _‑ita_ to match the gender or _‑ito_ to match the ending of the word? The jury’s still out—both la manita and la manito are common, depending on the speaker and the dialect!

## A _little_ more about diminutives in Spanish

There are just a few extra rules and exceptions to know:

**Accent marks**

When a word has an [accent mark](https://blog.duolingo.com/spanish-accent-marks/), like jardín or pájaro, their diminutive form loses the accent. The stress always falls on the second-to-last syllable: jardincito and pajarito.

**Gender**

The _‑a_ or _‑o_ ending depends on the [gender of the noun](https://blog.duolingo.com/what-is-grammatical-gender/), even if the noun refers to a person that’s a different gender than the word. For example, amorcito, cielito (from ciel, “heaven”), and corazoncito (from corazón, “heart”) are all common pet names that come from masculine nouns, but even with the _‑o_ ending, they’re perfectly natural to use with your wife, daughter, or any other loved one who isn’t male.

**Dialectal differences**

You may also hear other endings in addition to _‑ito_ and _‑ita_ in some dialects. For example, a masculine noun like gato (cat) could turn into gatico, gatillo, or gatín (in addition to gatito), and a feminine noun like puerta (door) could become puertica, puertilla, or puertina (in addition to puertita). Beware, though—some of these endings can be interpreted as demeaning or disrespectful!

**If something’s _really_ teeny-tiny**

You’ll sometimes hear more than one diminutive tacked onto the same word to let you know that something is *really* small! Some of the most common examples are un poquitito (from un poco, “a little bit”), and—one that ABBA fans already know 🕺—chiquitita (from chica, “girl”). So un poquit *itito* is less than un poquito, and someone you call *chiqu *itita* is extra small, cute, or beloved compared to chiquita.

## Overview of examples

| Word | Diminutive |
| --- | --- |
| Regular (just add _‑ito/‑ita_) |  |
| abuela<br>grandmother | abuelita |
| abuelo<br>grandfather | abuelito |
| ahora<br>now | ahorita |
| bajo<br>short, quiet | bajito |
| casa<br>house | casita |
| ciel<br>sky, heaven | cielito |
| consejo<br>tip, piece of advice | consejito |
| gato<br>cat | gatito |
| libro<br>book | librito |
| mano<br>hand | manita or manito |
| pájaro<br>bird | pajarito |
| perro<br>dog | perrito |
| puerta<br>door | puertita |
| rato<br>(a) while | ratito |
| trabajo<br>work, job | trabajito |
| zapato<br>shoe | zapatito |
| _c_ → _qu_ |  |
| cerca<br>close, nearby | cerquita |
| chica<br>girl | chiquita |
| chico<br>boy | chiquito |
| poco<br>(little) bit | poquito |
| _g_ → _gu_ |  |
| amiga<br>(female) friend | amiguita |
| amigo<br>(male) friend | amiguito |
| _z_ → _c_ |  |
| cerveza<br>beer | cervecita |
| trozo<br>piece, slice | trocito |
| Add _‑cito/‑cita_ |  |
| amor<br>love | amorcito |
| café<br>coffee | cafecito |
| camión<br>truck | camioncito |
| canción<br>song | cancioncita |
| corazón<br>heart | corazoncito |
| jardín<br>garden | jardincito |
| llave<br>key | llavecita |
| mujer<br>woman | mujercita |
| Add _‑cito/‑cita_ or _‑ecito/‑ecita_ |  |
| flor<br>flower | florcita or florecita |
| sol<br>sun | solcito or solecito |