Note the following word groups:
Wall - seawall
voice – little voice
ox - herd
cruel - cruelty
head - head
weak - weakly
Note that the words in red, formed after adding units (-ah, -inha, -ada, -dade, -ear, -mind) to the radical from the previous word, are new words that present an idea different from the original in another grammatical category. This minimum significant unit that integrates the word is given the name of suffix.
Thus, it can be said that the suffix is the element that is added after the stem to modify its meaning. It can be classified as nominal, verbal and adverbial.
nominal suffix
It's the one that joins the radical to give rise to a substantive or to a adjective.
See some examples:
augmentative suffix |
-alloon |
grandgarlic |
diminutive suffix |
-ino |
smallino |
Suffix that forms noun from another noun |
-ada |
paperada |
Suffix that forms noun from adjective |
-(i) give |
freebig boy Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;) |
Suffix that forms noun from noun and adjective |
-ism |
realism heroism |
Suffix that forms noun and adjective from another noun and adjective |
-ist |
realhey toothhey |
Suffix that forms noun from verb |
-hip |
rememberhip |
Suffix that forms adjective from noun |
-steel |
manisteel |
Suffix that forms adjective from verbs |
-before |
toleratebefore |
verb suffix
It's the one that joins the radical to give rise to a verb.
See some examples:
-ear |
leafear |
-eja |
gotejar |
-enter |
sourenter |
-(i) stay |
dignifiedcertify |
-stay |
drinkstay |
-island |
fingerisland |
-bath |
wroteswell |
-stare |
saltitate |
-ize |
civilgo |
adverbial suffix
In Portuguese, there is only one adverbial suffix, -mind, which joins the feminine form of an adjective to form a adverb.
See some examples:
-mind |
Francemind kind-heartedmind slowmind weakmind |
By Mariana Rigonatto
Graduated in Letters
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
RIGONATTO, Mariana. "What is a suffix?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/o-que-e/portugues/o-que-e-sufixo.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
