Diminutive -etjie
Short stressed vowel + l, m, n, r: double it and add -etjie: bal → balletjie. Stressed ng: ring → ringetjie.
How It Works
1. Short stressed vowel + l, m, n or r. Double the consonant and add -etjie:
- bal → balletjie (little ball)
- kam → kammetjie (little comb)
- man → mannetjie (little man)
- ster → sterretjie (little star)
- blom → blommetjie (little flower)
- kar → karretjie (little car)
A useful check: if the plural doubles the consonant (balle, kamme, blomme, sterre), the diminutive usually takes -etjie.
2. Stressed ng. Words that end in ng in a stressed syllable add -etjie, and ng stays as it is: ring → ringetjie, ding → dingetjie (little thing), slang → slangetjie (little snake), tong → tongetjie (little tongue).
3. Compare the neighbours. The same consonants take a different ending after a long vowel, a diphthong or an unstressed syllable:
- Long vowel + l, n or r: stoel → stoeltjie, maan → maantjie (see diminutive -tjie).
- Long vowel + m: boom → boompie (see diminutive -pie).
- Unstressed -ing: koning → koninkie (see diminutive -kie).
4. Plural and meaning. Like every diminutive, the plural adds -s: balletjies, sterretjies (see plural of diminutives). Some -etjie words have extra meanings: mannetjie also means a male animal, as in leeumannetjie (male lion).
Examples (6)
- Die kinders speel met 'n balletjie.
The children are playing with a little ball.
Word by Word: The children play with a little-ball.
- Kyk, daar is die eerste sterretjie!
Look, there's the first little star!
Word by Word: Look, there is the first little-star!
- Sy dra 'n goue ringetjie.
She wears a little gold ring.
Word by Word: She wears a golden little-ring.
Ring ends in a stressed ng, so it adds -etjie without doubling.
- Die mannetjie het 'n rooi hoed op.
The little man is wearing a red hat.
Word by Word: The little-man has a red hat on.
- Ek het 'n blommetjie vir jou gepluk.
I picked a little flower for you.
Word by Word: I have a little-flower for you picked.
- Hy ry met 'n ou karretjie.
He drives a little old car.
Word by Word: He rides with an old little-car.
Common Mistakes
Forgetting to double the consonant.
Die kinders speel met 'n baletjie.Die kinders speel met 'n balletjie.The a in bal is short and stressed, so the l doubles before -etjie, just as in the plural balle.
Using -tjie after a stressed final ng.
Sy dra 'n ringtjie.Sy dra 'n ringetjie.A stressed final ng takes -etjie: ringetjie, dingetjie.
Using -etjie after an unstressed -ing.
Die koningetjie het gelag.Die koninkie het gelag.In koning the final syllable is unstressed, so it follows the -kie rule: the g drops and -kie is added.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The diminutive -etjie is used after a short stressed vowel and l, m, n or r, and after a stressed final ng.
Related Patterns
- Diminutive -tjie
The ending for l, n and r after a long vowel, a diphthong or an unstressed syllable.
Level 2 - Diminutive -pie
The ending for m after a long vowel, as in boompie.
Level 3 - Diminutive -kie
The ending for unstressed -ing, as in koninkie.
Level 3 - Plural of Diminutives
Every diminutive, including -etjie words, forms its plural with -s.
Level 2 - Plural Spelling: bome and katte
The same doubling rule that gives balle also gives balletjie.
Level 2 - What Diminutives Really Do
What diminutives mean beyond small size.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice Diminutive -etjie in Bubblegum
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