FAM - Hay and "-ito / -ita" (Lesson)

Hay and "-ito / -ita"

Graphic for Hay, or there is and there are

 

Hay is a very useful term in Spanish.   It has two meanings:

  • There is
  • There are

Here are some examples:

  • Hay dos hermanas en mi familia.
  • Hay un libro en la clase.
  • Hay un perro en la casa.
  • Hay tres tíos en la familia de Raúl.

When asking a question "hay" means "Are there?" or "Is there?".

Here are some examples:

  1. ¿Hay un estudiante en la clase?
  2. ¿Hay un gato en tu casa?
  3. ¿Hay unos hijos en la familia de Lola?
  4. ¿Hay unos peces en la casa?

 

Practice using Hay below.

 

Diminutives are used in Spanish to indicate that something is small, cute, or to show affection. Examples of diminutive suffixes include "-ito / -ita" and these do have numbers and gender.

The first step is to take the noun you want to use.

Abuelo for example.

Next, remove the vowel at the end

                      Abuel-

Then, add -ito or -ita depending on the gender of the person, place, or thing you are referring to.

                      Abuelito or cute/sweet grandpa (affectionately)

 Here are some examples of how you can use diminutives with your new "familia" vocabulary:

  • Gato -> à gatito
  • Perro -> à perrito
  • Hermana -> à hermanita

There are some more detailed specifics for the advanced learner. We're going to keep it simple for now, but if you're interested in reading more information about "diminutives" en español be sure to check out the sidebar resources.

 

Now you try!

 

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.

HAY IMAGE CREATED BY ASHLEY INGLES WITH AN IMAGE FROM “OCCUPY WALL STREET POSTER, 15 M INDIGNADOS, NO HAY PAN PARA TANTO CHORIZO” – OWN WORK. LICENSED UNDER CC BY-SA 3.0 VIA COMMONS