What Suffixes Can Do to Paper

It's amazing what suffixes can do in Spanish. Take a simple word like papel, meaning "paper." With suffixes it can become:

• papela, identification card
• papeleo, paperwork
• papelero, paper (as an adjective)
• papelito, slip of paper
• papelina, sachet of paper containing drugs
• papelón, a spectacle
• papelera, wastepaper basket
• papelería, stationery shop

And there are others. The meanings of prefixes aren't always predictable, but if you study our updated list of common suffixes you'll have a head start.