Le alterazioni

Italian nouns can sometimes be modified to express a specific quality of the noun without using an adjective. These modifications happen through suffixes that are added to the root of the noun.

There are three main types of alterations:

Diminutivi (-ino/-ina or -etto/-etta)

A diminutivo is used to express that the thing indicated by the noun is small or tiny. The noun adds the suffix –ino/-ina (–ini/-ine if plural) or -etto/-etta (-etti/-ette if plural).

For example:
una piccola tazza – una tazzina
due piccoli gatti – due gattini
una piccola casa – una casetta

Accrescitivi (-one)

An accrescitivo is used to indicate something big. The noun is changed with the suffix –one (-oni for plural), and it always becomes masculine.

For example:
una grande macchina – un macchinone
dei grandi libri – dei libroni

Peggiorativi (-accio/-accia)

A peggiorativo is used to indicate something negative, bad or ugly. The noun is changed with the suffix –accio/a (-acci/e for plural).

For example:
una brutta parola – una parolaccia
un brutto libro – un libraccio