Diminutives
Diminutives are a grammatical feature used to indicate affection, or smallness, soften the meaning, or convey a sense of familiarity, to name a few. They are formed by adding suffixes to nouns, adjectives and adverbs.
Diminutives are widely used in Portuguese-speaking countries, including Portugal, Brazil, and various African countries where Portuguese is spoken. They add a touch of warmth and informality to the language, making it more expressive and nuanced.
- 🐈 Gato (cat) ➡ Gatinho (little cat)
- 🌹 Bonito (beautiful) ➡ Bonitinho (kind of cute)
- 🚀 Rápido (fast) ➡ Rapidinho (fairly quickly)
The rest of this lesson is for Plus members
Cafezinho, velhinha, cedinho. Portuguese diminutives rarely mean small, so here is what -inho and -zinho actually signal, and how each one is formed.
- Level A2–B1