... Big and Little Words ...
by Christopher Howard M.A.
Author of The New Golden Door Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica

Generally speaking, the endings "ito" or "ita" can be added to a noun to form the diminutive form of a noun. This makes the noun take on the meaning of little or small in size: una casa/a house; una casita/ a little house or un cigarro/a cigar; un cigarillo/a cigarette.

To form the diminutive in Spanish, you usually drop the final vowel of the noun and add "ito or "illo": una casa/una casita. if the final letter of the noun is a consonant again, just add "ito" or "illo"; papel/paper; papelito or papelillo/ a small piece of paper.

Diminutives are also used to express affection: una chica/a girl; una chiquita/ a cute little girl. In English we do the same thing: pig/piggy or piglet; John/Johnny.

"Ico" and "ecito" are also diminutives, but are not used as frequently as the others. The word "tico", which means a Costa Rican in slang, is derived from a diminutive.

The opposite of diminutives are called augmentatives. They make nouns take on a meaning of larger or bigger in size. The most common forms ar "on", "ona" and "azo".

To use these augmentatives, drop the final vowel of a noun and add the endings I just mentioned: muchacha/girl; muchachona/a big girl (size) or barriga/stomach; barrigon/person with a large stomach.

"Ote" and "ota" are two other augmentatives that are used less frequently and sometimes have negative conotations: gordo/fat; gordote - gordota/ a big fat person.

Tiquismo of the week: Boca. This word literallly means "mouth" in correct Spainsh, however , in Costa Rica it is used to refer to an appetizer or type of hors d' oeuvre served with an alcoholic beverage. Most places where liquor is sold serve bocas.

Christopher Howard M.A. is the author of "The New Golden Door Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica," He is also a paid consultant for National Geographic in Costa Rica. For more information call 800-365-2342, access: www.costaricabooks.com or www.publishingonline.com to directly download his books from the Internet. Mr. Howard also conducts monthly one-of-a-kind exploratory trips for those wanting to live in Costa Rica Please call toll-free 800-493-8426, e-mail: crbooks@racsa.co.cr or tico@gate.net. Contact them to see how your can win a FREE round-trip ticket to Costa Rica on one of their tours. Mr. Howard also works as a paid consultant for newcomers and those thinking of investing or going into business. For a listing of his services see: www. liveincostarica.com. Anyone needing assistance may contact him directly at: crbooks@racsa.co.cr.