Augmentative Suffixes

Several words can have augmentative suffixes attached to the noun to create a different word, yet with similar meaning. One very common augmentative suffix is -ado/a. This suffix can have several interpretations. First, it can refer to a maximum amount that the noun can hold. For example, a cucharada, which is a portmanteau of sorts of the word cuchara(spoon), and -ada., means "spoonFUL". Other examples of this are:

un puñado "a fistFUL, a handFUL"
un bocado "a mouthFUL"


You can also use the -ado/-ada suffix for expressing the noun touching or hitting something, like

una patada (from la pata = "the foot") a kick
una cuchillada (from un cochillo = "the knife") the slash (from a knife)

Finally, the -ado/-ada suffix can mean a typical characteristic of the noun, for example:

una animalada acting like an animal
una muchachada acting like a child

The way we use these nouns is like this:

Eres una muchachada. You're acting like a child.
Comer así es una animalada. Eating like that makes you look like an animal.

Remember not every noun can follow this pattern. There are only a handful of nouns that exhibit this change colloquially, so really the only way to learn them is by listening for them.

Sigue estudiando,

Professor Joel