-et-
-et-: Small or Slight
-et- makes the meaning smaller or weaker.
How It Works
| Word | With -et- | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| domo (house) | dometo | small house |
| rivero (river) | rivereto | stream |
| ridi (laugh) | rideti | smile |
| varma (warm) | varmeta | only a little warm, lukewarm |
The word keeps its basic meaning and only gets smaller. The ending stays at the end, so dometo is still a noun and varmeta is still an adjective.
Some words with -et- have a special meaning, so rideti means to smile, a quiet kind of laughing. The opposite of -et- is -eg-.
One root can give a whole family: domo (house), dometo (small house) and domego (big house).
Examples (4)
- Wei loĝas en dometo apud rivereto.
Wei lives in a small house beside a stream.
Dometo is a small house and rivereto is a small river.
- Ana ridetas al Kenji.
Ana smiles at Kenji.
Rideti is a quiet kind of ridi.
- La teo estas nur varmeta.
The tea is only lukewarm.
Varmeta means a little warm.
- Ni promenas laŭ la rivereto.
We are walking along the stream.
The word rivereto names a small river.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The ending -et- makes something small.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.