Many German nouns can be turned into diminutives by adding a suffix to the end: "chen" or "lein".
Examples:
Bär – Bärchen
Harry – Harrylein
Diminutives denote people, animals and things that are cute or small (e.g. "Brötchen", the German word for roll; it literally means "small bread"). Diminutive forms can also be used as terms of endearment (e.g. "Harrylein")
Forming the diminutive often means a change to the stem vowel.
Examples:
Schatz – Schätzchen
Brot – Brötchen
Regardless of the gender of the original word, the diminutive form always turns it into the neuter form.
Examples:
der Bär - das Bärchen
der Schatz - das Schätzchen
der Harry - das Harrylein
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Pet names for people Usually, the use of diminutives as pet names for people is meant as a sign of affection and tenderness. Sometimes the person's name itself is turned into a diminutive ("Harrylein"). But it's more common to use the diminutive form of animals or objects. Bärchen |