Prefixes

The Spanish prefixes are to a large extent common with those of English. They are placed before a noun, adjective, adverb or verb, without changing the spelling. They are used to form new words by changing the meaning:

• legítimo → ilegítimo, illegitimate;
• nombre → sobrenombre, nickname.

There are six main categories of prefixes.

Quantitative prefixes: multi-, pluri-, bi-, poli-, co-

• multiétnico, multiethnic ;
• bilingüe, bilingual ;
• plurilingüe, multilingual, polyglot ;
• politécnico, polytechnic ;
• copiloto, co-pilot.

Intensive prefixes : super-, hiper-, sobre-, mini-, micro-, hipo-

• supermercado, supermarket;
• hiperbólico, hyperbolic;
• sobreprotegido, overprotected ;
• microcrédito, microcredit ;
• hipoglucemia, hypoglycemia.

Negative and privative prefixes: i-, in-, mal-, des-, dis-, a-

• ilegal, illegal;
• inaudito, unheard of, unprecedented;
• desocupado, unoccupied ;
• disgustar, displease, annoy ;
• malhumorado, bad tempered;
• apolítico, apolitical.

Time prefixes: pre-, post-, ante-

• predeterminado, predetermined;
• anteayer, day before yesterday;
• postparto, post-partum.

Oppositional prefixes : anti-, contra-

• antipático, unsympathetic:
• contraofensiva, counter-offensive.

Prefix of propensity and inclination : pro-

• proactivo, proactive, reactive.

Suffixes

Spanish suffixes have mostly a diminutive role, sometimes also an augmentative, appreciative or depreciative role.

Diminutives

Diminutives are very common, especially in speech. They are used to refer to a small size, but also as a mark of affection, tenderness, familiarity, sometimes also politeness. They apply to nouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs.

They are formed with the suffixes -ito, -ita :

• casa → casita, small house ;
• Juan → Juanito, Little John.

A spelling change is sometimes necessary:

• chico → chiquito, little boy;
• un poco → un poquito, a little bit;
• cerca → cerquita, very close.

In some cases, the suffix is placed just before the end of the word and thus becomes an infix:

• azúcar → azuquítar, small sugar.
• Óscar→ Osquítar, Little Oscar.

We use-cito, -cita if the word ends with e, r or n :

• mujer → mujercita, little woman;
• llave → llavecita, small key.

We use -ecito, -ecita if the word is short (monosyllabic) and ends with a consonant:

• pan → panecito, bun;
• flor → florecita, small flower;
• luz → lucecita, small light.

If the word has a t in its last syllable, the suffix can change to -ico :

• momento → momentito
  short time (commonly used in the Madrid area or in Mexico);
• momento → momentico
  short time (commonly used in Aragon, Murcia, Colombia, Costa Rica or Cuba).

In everyday language, the formation of the diminutive is not always rigorous, several choices are sometimes possible:

• mamá → mamíta ;
• mamá → mamicíta
  little mother.

• vuelta → vueltita ;
• vuelta → vueltecita
  small tour.

Nuances of expression with a diminutive

In many cases, the diminutive does not refer to a small size, but serves to modulate the expression in an affectionate, familiar, or respectful sense. This is particularly the case when a diminutive is affixed to an adjective, an adverb or a verb.

• Estoy cansado.
  I am tired.
• Estoy cansadito.
  I am quite tired, I am exhausted.

• Vive sola.
  She lives alone.
• Vive solita.
  She lives alone.

• Vive cerca de mi casa.
  He lives near my house.
• Vive cerquita de mi casa.
  He lives next door to me.

• Espéreme un momento.
  Wait for me a moment.
• Espéreme un momentito.
  Please wait a moment (it won’t take long).

Augmentatives

Augmentative suffixes are numerous, mainly reserved for oral language. They are not always rigorously determined. Very often, only usage allows us to know them.

Suffixes -ote, -ota :

• palabra → palabrota, swear word;
• grande → grandote, very tall.

Suffixes -on, -ona :

• casa → casona, large house;
• mujer → mujerona, strong woman;
• un montón de gente, many people;
• un montonon de gente, a lot of people, a very large crowd.

Suffix -azo :

• hombre → hombrazo, huge man (very big or tall).

Nuances of expression with an augmentative

The suffixes -azo/a, -ote/a can express an appreciation:

• Tienes un sueldazo.
  You have a good salary, a high salary.
• Tengo un jefazo.
  I have a good leader, a quality leader.
• Es un amigote.
  He is a great friend, a valuable friend.

The suffixes -azo/a, -ote/a can express a depreciative or pejorative idea:

• Mi jefe es un animalote.
  My boss is an animal (meaning: he behaves like an animal).
• ¡No hagas tantas tonterías con tus amigotes!
  Don’t make so much nonsense with your friends! (implying: bad company).

The suffix -azo can express the idea of blow:

• cabezazo, headbutt;
• rodillazo, knee blow ;
• botellazo, bottle shot.

The suffixes -acho/a, -aco/a, -uzo/a, -ajo/a most often express a depreciative idea:

• libracho or libraco, bad book, without interest;
• gentuza, scum, scoundrels ;
• espantajo, scarecrow, problem or major difficulty.

As we can see, the forms of expression permitted by suffixes are rich and diverse. They are often determined by the context, since the same suffix can bring several different meanings.

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