Despacio y Despacito
What is the difference between these two? They're both adverbs as per the dictionary, they both obviously have the same root. The "cito" ending makes me think of a diminutive but it's just a guess, I might be on the wrong track.
¡Gracias!
7 Answers
Despacito is a diminutive of despacio. If you're not familiar with diminutives then it's kind of hard to explain, it's something you have to get a feel for.
Despacio and despacito mean the same thing really, to go slowly. For all practical purposes, you can use them interchangeably, although for more formal situations you may want to stick with despacio.
Here's an example:
Despacio, no tomas tan rapido o vas a emborracharte Slow down , don't drink so fast or you're going to get drunk
Despacito, no tomas tan rapido o vas a emborracharte Slow down , don't drink so fast or you're going to get drunk
As you can see, those sentences mean the same, but the second one with despacitio you could say is a softer or kinder way of saying slow down.
It's really difficult to explain, maybe someone else has a better way of doing so. As you hear more and more diminutives you'll start to pick up on the idea. Sometimes diminutives can be translated sometimes not.
Here are a few other examples:
Que suave tu piel You skin is soft
Que suavecito tu piel Your skin is really soft
With suavecito the compliment is just a little bit nicer and will get a bigger smile from the recipient.
Puedo tener una muerda de tu hot dog? Can I have a bite of your hot dog?
Puedo tener una muerdita de tu hot dog? Can I have a little bite of your hot dog?
You can even do stuff like muerdititita which would be something like a teeny, tiny bite.
I hope this helps, it's not exactly a cut and dry thing to explain. Start looking for diminutives and playing with them yourself, they really make your Spanish sound and feel more native and they're just plain fun.
From what I've heard it seems to mean a little or just slowly. "¿Puedes hablar despacio por favor?" and "¿Puedes hablar despacito por favor?" They both mean generally the same, Can you talk slower please? With the second saying a little slower I believe.
If you want a guess by a beginner, 'despacito' seems to be used to as sort of a command form, that is, to say go slowly.
Despacito is a song by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee
In my country we would use:
Despacito
Rapidito
Cerquita
Prontito
Enseguidita etc.
They are all diminutives. For example "ahorita" is widely used in some areas but we never use it in our area. Not all are used all over Spanish-speaking countries but they would all be understood. It's true what they say. Diminutives in general are almost never used in public documents, patriotic speeches , laws, regulations etc. They are usually colloquial and a way of being kind or lovely or the sort.
Campo
*La tarde está muriendo
como un hogar humilde que se apaga.
Allá, sobre los montes,
quedan algunas brasas....*
Antonio Machado
"Despacito y buena letra, que el hacer las cosas bien, importa más que el hacerlas."
Antonio Machado
