Thread: Hermano vs hermanito?

Hi.
I have been using the internet to find some practice lessons to supplement my class Latin America Spanish lessons.
Have come across some conflicts now and then with words that don't show up in my Spanish-English Merriam-Webster dictionary.
An example is this sentence:

Mi hermanito no ______ la calle. (Wants correct form of CRUZAR)

I understand this to mean: My brother does not cross the street.

Questions:
1) Hermanito? ......... my dictionary shows 'brother' as 'hermano'
2) Lesson says CRUZAS is the correct answer. I don't understand.... I thought CRUZA would be the correct ending for 3rd person singular???
I realize that cruzas is an irregular verb, but list of irregular verbs in front of this same dictionary does not show 'cruzas' as any of the possible tense forms.

If this is the issue of 'spanish' Spanish vs 'Latin America' Spanish, then is there any easy way of recognizing when this is whats happening?
Thx.
Bob

Questions:
1) Hermanito? ......... my dictionary shows 'brother' as 'hermano'
2) Lesson says CRUZAS is the correct answer. I don't understand.... I thought CRUZA would be the correct ending for 3rd person singular???
I realize that cruzas is an irregular verb, but list of irregular verbs in front of this same dictionary does not show 'cruzas' as any of the possible tense forms.
Answers:
1) Hermano is brother. Hermanito is the diminutive, and means little brother, or younger brother.
2) Cruza is the correct answer.

Thx Hugocar.
Geez, I dislike finding mistakes by authors when I am learning something new!

Thanks, Tania, but help me understand the dimunitives better.
So, for your examples, you are saying 'small meal', 'small grand-mother/grand-father', 'small house', but they don't really mean small, like in a small-bodied grand-father or a little house?
Also, are they used only on 'o' or 'a' ending words, and can they be used on any of these words?
Thx.

Originally Posted by Tania

Well, depending on the tense, if you are talking in present you will say "Mi hermanito no CRUZA la calle" but if you are talking in past simple you would rather say "Mi hermanito no CRUZó la calle". Cruzó with tilde which I don't have in my keyboard.

BTW. Nevermind, if your book says CruzaS that's incorrect and you were right, cruzaS is a plural word finished in S and cruzA is a single word.

This is not correct, sorry.

Cruzas= second persona singular of the verb cruzar

MI hermanitO is singular and goes with cruzA with is also singular. If anything it would --"MiS hermanitoS cruzaN la calle", not cruzaS which is more for "Tú cruzaS la calle". Termination ito and ita are diminutives (hope I'm writing this OK) so when you see words like comidita from comida, abuelita from abuela, abuelito from abuelo, casita from casa.... those are diminutives=smallness of the object named, in Spanish those words are not derogatory ones but endearing.

Same in Spain, but we don't use the diminutive so often as in America.

Originally Posted by Bob6831

Thanks, Tania, but help me understand the dimunitives better.
So, for your examples, you are saying 'small meal', 'small grand-mother/grand-father', 'small house', but they don't really mean small, like in a small-bodied grand-father or a little house?

Well, a diminutive is either endearing or used for smaller things.

casa=casita

Can mean:

Tengo una csita en el campo. (I have a small house in the countryside)

Me voy a mi casita para descansar (I am going home to rest)

With persons usually endearing:

Papá=papito

Mamá= mamita

Abuela= abuelita

But it may mean smaller, younger

Mi hermanita solo tiene 3 meses.

Also, are they used only on 'o' or 'a' ending words, and can they be used on any of these words?
Thx.

Yes, with any word.

Feminine words end in a, masculine in o.

la casa, la casita

el abrigo, el abriguito

el paquete, el paquetito

Thx.
I think I got it.