Just like diminutives, augmentatives have different uses and there are several augmentative endings. These often convert everyday words into local slang. The most common Spanish Suffixes are: ón/ona, ozo/oza, and ote/ota.
In Spanish, augmentatives are used to express large size or great intensity
Examples:
| Grande – big | Grandote – huge |
| Perro – dog | Perrote – big dog |
| Beso – kiss | Besote – big kiss |
You’ll often hear augmentatives in Spanish when people are very excited about something, especially when telling stories and wanting to exaggerate size, intensity, enthusiasm, etc. A classic Latin American example is:
| Gol – a goal, in soccer | Golazo – an amazing soccer goal |
There are some words that change meanings when an augmentative is used. Here are a few examples:
| Caja – box | Cajón – drawer |
| Calle – street | Callejón – alley |
| Colcha – bedspread | Colchón – mattress |
| Rata – rat | Ratón – mouse |
| Cuchara – spoon | Cucharón – ladle |
| Silla – chair | Sillón – armchair |
Can you think of any other augmentatives in Spanish or augmentative pairs?
Check out these other articles to help you Learn Spanish.