Word building: work out new words in the Reading paper

The Reading paper can use words built from words on the vocabulary list. Learn five building rules and you can work out their meaning.

Practise this lesson free (6 questions)

-ito and -ísimo: changing the meaning

-ito / -ita = little (or affectionate): libro: librito; casa: casita; perro: perrito; gato: gatito.
-ísimo / -ísima = very, extremely: fácil: facilísimo; bueno: buenísimo; caro: carísimo. Spelling: rico: riquísimo; largo: larguísimo.

-mente, -idad and -able: changing the word class

Base wordBuilt wordEnglish
normalnormalmentenormally
rápidorápidamentequickly
seguroseguridadsafety, security
posibleposibilidadpossibility
realrealidadreality
evitarevitableavoidable
aceptaraceptableacceptable
lavarlavablewashable

How to use it in the exam

Find the root word first, then use the ending:
-ito = small, -ísimo = very, -mente = -ly, -idad = -ity / -ty, -able = -able.
Una casita carísima = a very expensive little house.
Worked example

Work out the meaning: "La comida estaba riquísima y el hotel era tranquilísimo."

  1. riquísima = rica + -ísima: very tasty
  2. tranquilísimo = tranquilo + -ísimo: very quiet

Answer: The food was really tasty and the hotel was very quiet.

Key idea

-ito / -ita = little. -ísimo / -ísima = very (riquísimo, larguísimo). -mente = -ly. -idad = -ity (seguridad, posibilidad). -able = -able (evitable).

Quick check

Try two quick questions

See if it has sunk in. Answers are marked straight away.

Extra practice

2 more questions

Try each one, then tap to check.

  1. What does "un gatito" mean?

    1. a big cat
    2. a kitten, a little cat
    3. a cat owner
    4. a bad cat
    Show the answer

    Answer: a kitten, a little cat

    -ito = little.

  2. What does "La película fue buenísima" mean?

    1. The film was quite good
    2. The film was very good
    3. The film was better
    4. The film was bad
    Show the answer

    Answer: The film was very good

    -ísimo = very.

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Practise this lesson free (6 questions)All GCSE and International GCSE Spanish lessons

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Sources and references

Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.

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