I am a little confused by the word "cito/-a" attached to some spanish words as a suffix..

Question

HI. bebe means baby but how about bebecito? or for more examples

joven, jovencito.

or some times for names I have seen such as: Miriamcita!

what does cito/-a means ??

tnx alot

Please do not use text talk. You question is quite good! - bandit51jd, Jun 28, 2013

This is a good question that can't be found in some dictionaries. Remember to help the learners of Spanish with capitals. Thanks...Spanish... - katydew, Jun 28, 2013

Answer 1

It is a diminutive = little.

It is a term of endearment.

Joven = young

Jovencito/a = youngster.

mamacita / papacito - you get the idea (this one can be used in another way too )

You can add it to almost any noun.

Thanks a million - caballer0, Jun 28, 2013

Answer 2

Adding to ian's nice explanation, here's a link to a short and user-friendly article on diminutives in Spanish: linky

Good link Manity - In Bolivia I heard Cocacolita for a small Coca Cola :) - ian-hill, Jun 28, 2013

Haha, this sounds awesome :) - Manity, Jun 28, 2013

Answer 3

I say this only partly tongue in cheek. Forget about learning the nouns as they are written in the dictionary as almost every noun is treated as a diminutives at one time or another. I can't tell you how many times I have been temporarily confused by diminutives.

I hear them all the time. They really are a big part of understanding the language. - katydew, Jun 28, 2013

Answer 4

Here was a fun game on Diminutivos. You can see a lot of examples that other users posted with pictures.

Diminutivo game