How to Say "little" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “little” is “pequeño” — use 'pequeño' when you want to say 'small' in terms of size, and it's often interchangeable with 'chico'.
pequeño
Examples
Mi casa es muy pequeña.
My house is very small.
poco
PO-koˈpoko
Examples
Tenemos poco tiempo para terminar el proyecto.
We have little time to finish the project.
Hay pocos coches en la calle hoy.
There are few cars on the street today.
Tengo poca paciencia para estas cosas.
I have little patience for these things.
Recibimos pocas quejas sobre el servicio.
We receive few complaints about the service.
Making 'Poco' Agree
When 'poco' describes a thing, it must change to match. Use 'poco' for masculine things, 'poca' for feminine things, 'pocos' for plural masculine things, and 'pocas' for plural feminine things.
The Unchanging Word
When 'poco' tells you how an action is done (like 'hablo poco') or describes another describing word (like 'poco interesante'), it never changes. It's always just 'poco'.
Forgetting to Match
Mistake: “Tengo poco amigas.”
Correction: Tengo pocas amigas. You need to use 'pocas' because 'amigas' is a feminine, plural word.
Trying to Make it Match
Mistake: “Ella estudia pocas.”
Correction: Ella estudia poco. Because 'poco' describes the action of studying, it doesn't change to match 'ella'.
chico
CHEE-koˈtʃiko
Examples
Ese gato es muy chico.
That cat is very small.
Mi coche es muy chico, es fácil de aparcar.
My car is very small, it's easy to park.
Compré una camisa chica porque la grande no me quedaba.
I bought a small shirt because the large one didn't fit me.
Estos problemas son chicos comparados con los de antes.
These problems are small compared to the ones before.
Matching the Noun
When you use chico to describe something, its ending must match the noun. un coche chico (a small car), una casa chica (a small house), unos zapatos chicos (small shoes), unas mesas chicas (small tables).
Forgetting to Change the Ending
Mistake: “El vestido es chico y las faldas es chico también.”
Correction: Say 'El vestido es chico y las faldas son chicas también.' The describing word (`chico/chica`) must match the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the thing it describes.
chiquito
chee-KEE-tohtʃiˈkito
Examples
¡Qué bebé tan chiquito!
What a tiny baby!
Tengo un perro chiquito en mi casa.
I have a tiny dog at my house.
El apartamento es chiquito pero muy bonito.
The apartment is very small but very pretty.
Corta el papel en pedazos chiquitos.
Cut the paper into tiny pieces.
The Power of '-ito'
This word comes from 'chico' (small). Adding '-ito' to the end makes it sound even smaller and much more affectionate or 'cute'.
Matching the Noun
Even though we are looking at 'chiquito', remember to change the ending to 'a' (chiquita) if you are describing something feminine, like 'una casa chiquita'.
Short vs. Small
Mistake: “Using 'chiquito' to formally describe a person's height.”
Correction: Use 'bajo' for height. While people say 'chiquito' for short people informally, 'bajo' is the standard way to say 'short'.
Confusing 'Poco' with Size Adjectives
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