Augmentatives and Superlatives: -ón, -azo, -ísimo

Spanish: Aumentativos y superlativos: -ón, -azo, -ísimo

Level: B1 Intermediate

Category: word_formation

Explanation

In Spanish we use suffixes to modify the meaning of words. Augmentatives (-ón, -azo, -ote) indicate that something is big, and they often add an expressive nuance, either positive or negative. For example, a big "casa" (house) is a "casona" (large house), and an impressive "coche" (car) is a "cochazo" (awesome car). The suffix -azo can also mean a blow given with something: a "codazo" is a hit with the elbow. The absolute superlative is formed with the suffix -ísimo/-ísima and means "very" + adjective. So "grande" (big) becomes "grandísimo" (very big) and "caro" (expensive) becomes "carísimo" (very expensive). This superlative agrees in gender and number with the noun: "unas casas grandísimas" (some very big houses). To form the superlative, we normally drop the final vowel of the adjective and add -ísimo: "alto" → "altísimo", "fácil" → "facilísimo". When the adjective ends in a consonant, we just add -ísimo: "difícil" → "dificilísimo". Some adjectives undergo spelling changes to keep the sound, such as "rico" → "riquísimo" and "largo" → "larguísimo". These suffixes are very common in colloquial speech and add color and emotion to what we say. Knowing how to use them will help you sound more natural and understand the real Spanish of the streets, bars and shops.

Examples

• Este café está buenísimo, ¿me pone otro? - This coffee is really good, can I have another?
• ¡Qué cochazo se ha comprado tu vecino! - What an awesome car your neighbor has bought!
• La habitación es grandísima y tiene una cama enorme. - The room is huge and has an enormous bed.
• Estos tomates están carísimos hoy en el mercado. - These tomatoes are very expensive at the market today.
• El museo tiene un cuadro famosísimo de Velázquez. - The museum has a very famous painting by Velázquez.