Spanish augmentatives

By Marta Díaz on Thursday, October 9, 2025

Have you ever heard a Spanish word that sounded strange to you, but when you looked it up in the dictionary, you couldn't find it? This may be because it is a diminutive or an augmentative in Spanish, words that change when a Spanish suffix is added to modify their intensity.

If you want to know everything about augmentatives in Spanish, this is the article for you! Enforex helps you achieve your dream level with intensive Spanish courses and our support blog. Keep reading so you don't miss anything!

What are Spanish augmentatives?

Augmentatives in Spanish are suffixes that are added to a word to express an increase in size, intensity, or importance. These suffixes modify the meaning of the noun, adjective, or even the adverb. They serve to convey an idea of greatness, exaggeration, or anger, depending on the context in which they are used.

For example:

• Casa → casoplón (a big house)
• Niño → niñote (a big or clumsy child)
• Perro → perrazo (a big or strong dog)

Furthermore, in Spanish, augmentatives not only indicate physical size, but also affective or expressive nuances. An augmentative can have a positive tone, for example: “¡Qué cochazo tienes!” (What a great car you have!), referring to a new or very nice car. Or it can have a negative tone, for example, “Ese tipo es un grandullón” (That guy is a big guy), referring to a large person, but who may also be clumsy or annoying.

Although Spanish augmentatives express greatness or intensity, their opposites, Spanish diminutives, indicate smallness, affection, or softness (niñito, casita, perrito). Both are very characteristic features of Spanish, allowing for nuance in conversation without the need to add adjectives.

When are Spanish augmentatives used?

Augmentatives in Spanish are used to express different meanings depending on the speaker's intention. It is not simply a matter of indicating that something is big, but of reflecting an emotional or evaluative attitude towards the object or person mentioned.

Below are the most common uses of some Spanish augmentatives:

Large size or volume

The most literal use of augmentatives is to indicate that something is physically large.

Examples:

• Mesa → mesota (a very large table)
• Plato → platazo (a large plate)
• Camión → camionazo (a very big and large truck)

Intensity or exaggeration

Sometimes, augmentatives express exaggeration or emphasis on the quality of the noun or adjective.

Examples:

• Fiesta → fiestón (a large, very fun party)
• Problema → problemón (a major problem)
• Cansado → cansadísimo (intensive form; not a typical augmentative, but it has a similar function)

Affection or admiration

Spanish augmentatives can also show admiration, affection, or surprise.

Examples:

• ¡Qué coche más grandote! (here the tone is affectionate or humorous)
• ¡Pedazo de artista! (here it expresses admiration)

Contempt or mockery

In some cases, the augmentative has a derogatory or ironic nuance. For example, grandullón refers to a large but clumsy person. Or pueblucho, which can mean a small and unimportant town. In this case, the suffix -ucho also has a derogatory meaning, although it is not a classic augmentative.

How are augmentatives formed in Spanish?

Spanish augmentatives are formed by adding certain suffixes to the root of a noun, adjective, or adverb. The most common suffixes are: -ón / -ona; -ote / -ota; -azo / -aza; -uco / -uca; -ón / -ona; -acho / -acha.

It is important to note that adding these suffixes can cause spelling or phonetic changes. There are also irregular or colloquial forms, such as grandullón, ricachón, casoplón, and problemón.

Practical examples of augmentatives in Spanish

These examples will help you understand how augmentatives work in Spanish within complete sentences:

• Compré una casona en el campo (I bought a big house in the countryside)
• Juan tiene un cochazo nuevo (Juan has a new fancy car)
• En la fiesta había un pastelote enorme (There was a huge cake at the party)
• Ese animal es un buenazo, es muy cariñoso (That animal is a good guy, he's very affectionate)
• ¡Menudo problemón tenemos con el tráfico! (What a big problem we have with traffic!)
• El actor vive en un pisazo en el centro (The actor lives in a huge apartment in the city center)
• La abuela hizo una sopaza deliciosa (Grandma made a delicious soup)
• Ayer vi una peliculaza en el cine (Yesterday I saw a great movie at the cinema)
• Pedro es un grandullón pero tiene buen corazón (Pedro is a big guy, but he has a good heart)
• Compraron un bolsazo enorme para irse de viaje (They bought a huge bag to go on a trip)

As you can see, augmentatives are used in both every day and colloquial language, and they add expressiveness to speech.

If you've already internalized everything about augmentatives in Spanish, it's time to put it into practice. Below, you'll find sentences in which you can add the correct form of the augmentatives for those words (you'll find the solution below).

Use the appropriate suffixes: -ón, -ona, -azo, -aza, -ote, -ota as appropriate.

• En el zoológico vimos un __________ (león) enorme.
• Pedro vive en una __________ (casa) con jardín y piscina.
• ¡Ese coche es un __________ (coche)! ¡Qué bonito!
• Laura preparó una __________ (sopa) deliciosa.
• ¡Qué __________ (fiesta) la de anoche!
• El profesor tiene un __________ (libro) muy pesado.
• Ayer nos dieron un __________ (susto) terrible.
• Mi primo es un __________ (niño) muy alto.
• Compraron un __________ (bolso) gigantesco a su madre.
• ¡Qué __________ (problema) más grande tenemos!

As you can see, augmentatives in Spanish are powerful tools for adding color, emotion, and nuance to speech. In addition to indicating size, they also indicate intensity, value, and affection. Their use depends on the context and the speaker's communicative intent.

Now it's your turn. Follow your path to learning Spanish in Spain and let our teachers teach you everything you need to be bilingual in Spanish.

Exercise solutions: leonzote o leonazo; casona; cochazo; sopaza; fiestón; librazo; sustazo; niñote; bolsazo; problemón.