Suffixes in Spanish

Written by qualified Spanish expert Inma Sánchez BA

Last updated: 2017-12-11

Suffixes are groups of letters that can be added to an existing word. By doing this the meaning of the original word changes. This applies to different types of words, e.g nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs...

Here are some examples of common suffixes in Spanish:

Suffix -ito/-ita 

This suffix is added to some nouns to add a nuance of "little/small".

pueblo = village

pueblito = little village

Suffix -mente

This suffix is added to adjectives to form an adverb, in this case the equivalent to suffix -ly in English.

rápido = quick

rápidamente = quickly

Suffix -ista

This suffix is added to nouns in order to define certain professions/occupations.

pensión = pension

pensionista = pensioner

tenis = tennis

tenista = tennis player