Expressive suffixes (diminutives, augmentatives)
Expressive suffixes
Conveying an attitude through suffixes: до́мик (fond), домище (huge), домишко (shabby).
⚡Key points
-ик / -очк- / -еньк- / -ушк-→fond diminutives: до́мик, ча́шечка, до́ченька, ба́бушка
-ищ-→augmentative: домище (huge house)
-ишк- / -онк-→pejorative: домишко, книжонка (contempt)
Субъективная оце́нка→subjective evaluation (emotion), no new meaning
Colloquial / expressive register→≠ neutral suffixes -ение/-ость (B1)
Conveying an attitude through suffixes
Russian adds to nouns (and adjectives) suffixes of subjective evaluation (субъективная оце́нка): fondness, smallness, large size, contempt. The word keeps its meaning but takes on emotion. Very common in expressive speech.
Diminutives and hypocoristics (fondness)
Diminutive suffixes
| -ик / -чик | дом → до́мик | a little house (fond) |
| -ок / -ёк | день → денёк | a nice little day |
| -очк- / -ечк- | ча́шка → ча́шечка | a little cup (cute) |
| -еньк- / -оньк- | дочь → до́ченька | dear little daughter |
| -ушк- / -юшк- | ба́ба → ба́бушка | granny (tender) |
Fondness, tenderness, smallness
1
Express tenderness
Како́й ми́лый котик! (What a cute little cat!)
Выпей чайку. (Have a nice little cup of tea.)
Augmentatives and pejoratives
Large size / contempt
| -ищ- (augmentative) | дом → домище | a huge house |
| -ищ- (augmentative) | рука́ → ручища | a huge hand |
| -ишк- (pejorative) | дом → домишко | a shabby little house |
| -онк- / -ёнк- (pejorative) | кни́га → книжонка | a worthless little book |
Large size and disdain
1
-ищ-: large size (sometimes admiring)
Вот э́то ручищи! (What huge hands!)
2
-ишк- / -онк-: contempt, disdain
Како́й-то городишко. (Some dump of a town.)
Девчо́нка лет десяти. (A little girl of about ten.)
💡⚠️ Same word, different emotion
These suffixes express a subjective evaluation (субъективная оце́нка): tenderness/smallness (до́мик), large size (домище), contempt (домишко). They differ from the neutral B1 suffixes (-ение, -ость, -тель), which add no emotion. Mostly colloquial / expressive register.
дом → до́мик (fond) / домище (huge) / домишко (shabby)
кот → котик / котище / котишка
Dialogue: the new place
Ли́заНу как но́вая квартирка?
Анто́нМа́ленькая. Скорее, комнатушка.
Ли́заЗато́ свой уголо́к! А котик с тобой?
Анто́нКоне́чно. Спит на диванчике це́лыми дня́ми.
Liza: So how is the new little flat? — Anton: Small. More like a tiny little room. — Liza: At least it is your own corner! And is your kitty with you? — Anton: Of course. He sleeps on the little sofa all day long.