PREFIJOS Y SUFIJOS

La raíz o palabra base es independiente como palabra, es decir tiene su significado propio
pero pueden crearse nuevas palabras agregándoles distintos comienzos (prefijos) o finales
(sufijos) Por ejemplo: 'comfort' es una palabra base; al agregársele el prefijo 'dis' y el sufijo
'able' se obtienen las palabras 'discomfort' y 'comfortable'. Entonces, los afijos son grupos
de letras que se agregan al comienzo o al final de las palabras para hacer nuevas palabras.
Los prefijos van al comienzo de las palabras y a menudo cambian el significado; los sufijos
van al final y generalmente cambian la categoría de la palabra (de verbo a sustantivo o de
sustantivo a adjetivo)

Prefijos.

Los prefijos tienen significado, por ejemplo:

'un' significa 'not'
un + clear = unclear que significa 'not clear' or 'dim', 'difficult to see or understand' Si bien
no hay reglas para recordar que prefijo debe usarse, puede ser de gran ayuda conocer su
significado.
Algunos ejemplos:

Prefix Significado

mis means 'wrong' or 'badly' (mal)

e.g. 'misspelled' or misspelt means 'wrongly spelled'

sub means under (por debajo)

e.g. 'subway' means 'a way under the ground'

pre means 'before in time', 'in front of' or 'superior' (anterior)

e.g. 'prepacked' means 'packed before'

un means not (existen varios otros prefijos con este significado)

e.g. 'unhurt' means 'not hurt'

Prefijos que significan 'no'

Hay varios prefijos que dan el significado opuesto de una palabra.

 Prefix Significado

un not
e.g. 'unhurt' means 'not hurt'

im not
e.g. 'impolite' means 'not polite'

il not
e.g. 'illegal' means 'not legal'

in not
e.g. 'informal' means 'not formal'

ir not
e.g.'irregular' means 'not regular'

dis * Uno de los significados de este prefijo es también 'not'

e.g. 'disagree' means 'not agree'

Otros prefijos

Prefix Significado

dis It means away, apart, between, utterly (when used with a negative
word) and not. (desconectar, separar)
e.g. 'disarm' means to remove or take weapons away

mis It means 'wrong' or 'badly' (mal)

e.g. 'misfortune' is when your are not lucky and things go wrong or
badly

under It means 'below' or 'beneath' (por debajo)

e.g. 'underground' means below or beneath the ground

over means upper, outer, over, superior or excessive (excesivo, superior, por
arriba)
e.g. 'overweight' means too heavy or fat

re means again (repetición)

 Prefix Significado

e.g. 'replay' means to play something again

trans means across or through (a través)

e.g. 'transatlantic' means across the Atlantic ocean

inter means among, between or together (entre, juntos)

e.g. 'intermission' is the short period of time between the parts in a
performance or a film

super means in excess, beyond (más alla de lo común, exceso)

e.g. 'supersonic' means faster or beyond the speed of sound

anti means against, in opposition to (opuesto)

e.g. 'anticlockwise' is opposite to the direction that the hands of a clock
move in

ante means before (anterior)

e.g. 'antenatal' means before giving birth

post means after (posterior)

e.g. 'postpone' means to put something off until later, or after it was
originally planned

Sufijos

Los sufijos son un grupo de letras que se agregan al final de una palabra base.
e.g. walking, helpful

Agregar sufijos a una palabra puede cambiar su significado pero es muy importante tener
en cuenta que, sobre todo, ayuda a determinar cómo una palabra se usa en una oración y
que categoría gramatical tiene dicha palabra. (e.g. sustantivo, verbo, adjetivo)
Existen distintos grupos de sufijos. Probablemente, los más comunes son 'ed' and 'ing'.

Sufijo Ejemplo Sufijo Ejemplo

ed walk + ed = walked ness happy + ness =

happiness

ing say + ing = saying al accident + al =

 Sufijo Ejemplo Sufijo Ejemplo

accidental

er tall + er = taller ary imagine + ary =

imaginary

tion educate + tion = able accept + able =

education acceptable

sion divide + sion = division ly love + ly = lovely

cian music + cian = musician ment excite + ment =

excitement

fully hope + fully = hopefully ful help + ful + helpful

est large + est = largest y ease + y = easy

Portable: able to be carried.

capable of (adjective suffix) (capaz
able, ible
de ser…)
Legible: able to be read

like, pertaining to Cardiac: pertaining to the heart.

ac, ic
(que pertenece) Aquatic: pertaining to the water

acious, Audacious full of daring. Avaricious

full of (que tiene, lleno de)
icious full of greed

Maniacal: insane; portal :doorway;

al pertaining to (que pertenece)
logical: pertaining to logic

Eloquent: pertaining to fluid, effective

ant, ent full of (lleno de)
speech; suppliant: pleader.

like, connected with (que se Dictionary: book connected with

ary
relaciona, que se conecta) words; honorary
 Consecrate: to make holy; mitigate to
ate to make (verb suffix) (que hace)
make less severe

that which is (noun suffix)

ation Exasperation, irritation
(que es)

Democracy: government ruled by

state of being (noun suffix)
people
cy
(ser)
Obstinacy: stubbornness

Mutineer person who rebels

person who (noun suffix)
eer, er, Teacher person who teaches
or
(la persona que hace eso)
Censor person who deletes improper
remarks

becoming (adjective suffix) Evanescent tending to vanish

escent
(que tiende a, que se transforma) Pubescent arriving at puberty

making, doing (adjective suffix)

fic Terrific: arousing great fear
(que produce)

to make (verb suffix) Magnify: enlarge

fy
(que se transforma) Petrify: turn to stone

producing, bearing (adjective suffix) Pestiferous: carrying disease;

iferous
(que produce, que genera) vociferous: having a loud voice

pertaining to, capable of(adjective

il, ile suffix) (que pertenece, que es Civil; polite
capaz)

ism doctrine, belief (noun suffix) Monotheism: belief in one god

 (doctrina, creencia)

dealer, doer (noun suffix)

ist Realist: one who is realistic
(persona que

state of being (noun suffix)

ity Sagacity: wisdom
(estado de...

like (adjective suffix)(que refiere a, Quantitative: concerned with number

ive
se relaciona con) or volume

to make (verb suffix)

Harmonize: make harmonious;
ize, ise
enfranchise make free
(que produce, genera)

resembling, like (adjective suffix)

Ovoid: like an egg; anthropoid:
oid
resembling a human being
(que parece)

full of (adjective suffix)

ose Verbose: full of words
(que contiene)

condition (noun suffix)

Psychosis: diseased mental condition;
osis
hypnosis: condition of induced sleep
(condición de)

full of (adjective suffix)

Nauseous: full of nausea; ludicrous:
ous
foolish
(que tiene, que está lleno de)

state of (noun suffix)

Fortitude: state of strength; certitude:
tude
state of sureness
(estado de)
 A partir de verbos, se derivan sustantivos...

1] Agregando '-tion'

Al agregar 'tion' a una palabra base se cambia la palabra de verbo (acción) a

sustantivo (nombre de la persona, lugar o cosa):
e.g. inject (verb) + tion = injection (noun)
instruct (verb) + tion = instruction (noun)

La ortografía cambia a veces un poco; lo importante es que se pueda ver que el

verbo y el sustantivo se relacionan semánticamente.
e.g. relax (verb) + tion = relaxation (noun)
describe (verb) + tion = description (noun)

2] Agregando '-sion'

Al agregar 'sion' a una palabra base, ésta cambia también de verbo a sustantivo.
e.g. confuse (verb) + sion = confusion (noun)
explode (verb) + sion = explosion (noun)
discuss (verb) + sion = discussion (noun)

Profesiones

Cuando una palabra termina con el sufijo '-cian' , la palabra identifica a una persona
y a qué se dedica.
e.g. music + cian = musician
politic + cian = politician
mathematics + cian = mathematician
 Otros prefijos en Inglés

prefijo Significado ejemplo

a- Not (no) atypical

Anglo- English (ingles) Anglo-German relations, Anglo-Saxon

anti- Against (contra) anti-American, antifreeze, antibiotic l

auto- Self (propio) autobiography, autograph, auto-dial

bi- Two (dos) bicycle, bilingual, bi-monthly

cent- Hundred (ciento) century, centimeter

circum- Around (alrededor) circumference

together, with (en conjunto,

co- copilot, cooperation, coefficient, co-worker
con)

con- with, together (con) context

contra- against, opposite (contra) contradict

against, opposite (en sentido

counter- counterrevolution, counterclockwise
contrario)

taking something away, the

de- defrost, decentralize
opposite (quitar)

deca Ten (diez) decade, decathlon

deci- one tenth (un décimo) deciliter, decimeter

reverse, opposite (contrario,

dis- disorganized, dismantle, disable, disagree
opuesto)

Euro- from Europe European, euro

ex- Former ex-wife, ex-president, ex-boyfriend

extra- 1. very, more than usual (muy, extra-curricular, extra-special

 más que lo habitual)

2. outside, beyond (más allá) extraordinary, extraterrestrial

1. before, in advance (previo,

to foretell, foreword, forecast
anterior)
fore-
2. front (al frente) foreground, forehead

hex Six (seis) hexagon

under, too little (por debajo,

hypo- hypoglycemic
menos)

over, too much (por arriba,

hyper- hyperactive
demasiado)

in-, il-,
incorrect, invalid, illegible, immoral, impatient,
Not (no)
impossible, irregular, irrelevant
im-, ir-

between, from one to another

inter- international, interracial, intercontinental
(de uno a otro)

kilo- Thousand (mil) kilogram, kilowatt, kilometer

mal Bad (malo) malnourished, malcontent, malfunction

maxi- most, very large (muy grande) maximum

prefijo Significado ejemplo

mega- million, very large megabyte, megastar

micro- one millionth, very small microgram, microorganism, microwave

mid- in the middle of midnight, mid-air, midpoint

milli- Thousandth milligram, millimeter

mini- Small miniskirt, mini-market, miniscule

mis- bad or wrong, not (no, mal) misunderstand, misbehave miscalculate

mono- one, single monolingual, monologue, monorail

multi- Many multilingual, multi-ethnic

non- Not nonsense, non-resident, non-smoker

oct Eight octopus, octagon

more, to a greater degree

out- outdo, outrun
(mayor, de mayor grado)

over- more than normal, too much overeat, oversleep, overachieve

poly Many polygon, polyglot, polygraph

post- After postwar, posttest, post-game

pre- Before prepaid, preschool, prearranged,

pro- for, in favor of pro-European, pro-democracy

quad- Four quadruple, quadrilateral

re- Again rewrite, rebuild, redo

retro- Backward (para atrás) retroactive, retrofit, retrospect

semi- Half semicircle, semidetached

sept Seven September (originally the 7 month),

th

1. below, less tan subzero, subsonic

sub-
2. under subway, subtitles

superhuman, supersonic, supernatural,

super- extremely, more tan
Superman

tele- far, over a long distance television, telephoto lens, telephone

trans- across, though transatlantic, transcontinental, transmit

tri- Three triangle, trinomial, tricycle

extremely, beyond a certain

ultra- ultra-modern, ultraviolet
limit

not, opposite, taking something

un- uncertain, unhappy, unsure, undo, unable
away
 uni- one, single uniform, unicycle, unique

under below or not enough underpaid, underwear, underperformer

Otros sufijos en Ingles

sufijo Se usa para generar Significado ejemplo

-able,
acceptable, noticeable,
possible to, can be done (posible,
adjectivos convertible, divisible,
-ible, - que puede hacerse)
irresistible
ble

shortage, storage,
-age sustantivos a process or state (proceso)
orphanage

experimental,
-al adjectivos connected with (que refiere a ) accidental,
environmental

-ance, an action, process or state appearance,

sustantivos performance,
-ancy (Accion o proceso de) pregnancy, constancy

-ant, - assistant, immigrant,

sustantivos a person who does it (persona que)
ent student

examination,
imagination,
-ation sustantivos a state or action (estado o acción)
organization,
communication

past tense verb (verbos regulares en

-ed Verbos en pasado worked, hoped, stopped
pasado)

a person to whom something is done employee, trainee,

-ee sustantivos
(persona a la que se le hace ) trustee

to give something a particular

strengthen, brighten,
-en verbos quality, to make something more
wooden, golden
(hacer que sea más...)

-ence, sustantivos an action, process or state coincidence, patience,

 potency, presidency
-ency (acción o estado)

-er adverbios Comparative faster, quicker, stronger

a person who does something rider, painter, baker,

-er sustantivos
(persona que hace...) builder, teacher

Japanese, Chinese,
-ese adjectivos from a place (original de….)
Vietnamese

a woman who does something as a

-ess sustantivos waitress, actress
job (mujer que realiza ....)

-est adverbios Comparative fastest, easiest, hardest

having a particular quality (que tiene beautiful, helpful,

-ful adjectivos
cierta cualidad) useful, thankful

a state, often during a particular

childhood, motherhood,
-hood sustantivos period of time (estado en un
brotherhood
determinado periodo de tiempo)

a person who does something as a Russian, comedian,

-ian sustantivos
job or hobby (persona que hace...) politician

Having characteristics of (que tiene linguistic, humanistic,

-ic adjectivos
características de...) autistic

adjectivos de
sustantivos que economical,
-ical connected with (relacionado a )
terminan en -y or - mathematical, physical
ics

to produce a state or quality (que

-ify verbos beautify, simplify, purify
produce estado de..)

[Link] nationality or language

English, Swedish, Polish
(nacionalidad o idioma)

-ish adjectivos 2. like something (parecido a ) babyish, foolish

longish, youngish,
3. rather, quite (bastante…)
brownish

-ist sustantivos 1.a person who has studied scientist, typist

 something or does something as a
job

2.a person who believes in

something or belongs to a particular capitalist, pacifist,
group (que pertenece a un feminist
determinado grupo)

-ion, - action, connection,

sustantivos a state or process
tion attraction

-ity, -
a state of safety, passivity
ty

to be able to, having a particular

active, effective,
-ive adjectivos quality (que puede o tiene
corrective
determinada cualidad)

magnetize, generalize,
-ize, - actions producing a particular state
verbos legalize, modernize,
ise (que produce determinado estado)
immunize

hopeless, friendless,
-less adjectivos not having something (que no tiene)
tasteless

-like adjectivos similar to (parecido) childlike

badly, beautifully,
-ly adverbios in a particular way (manera)
completely, perfectly

development,
a state, action or quality (estado o arrangement,
-ment sustantivos
acción) excitement,
achievement

kindness, sadness,
-ness sustantivos a state or quality
happiness, weakness

biology, psychology,
-ology sustantivos the study of a subject
zoology

a person who does something, often

-or sustantivos actor, conductor, sailor
as a job (que trabaja de )

-ous adjectivos having a particular quality (que tiene dangerous, generous,

 determinada cualidad) religious

Computers, watches,
-s, -es sustantivos more than one, plural
books

membership,
showing status (que tiene cierto
-ship sustantivos citizenship, friendship,
status)
relationship

in a particular direction (hacia una

-wards adverbios backwards, upwards
direccion determinada)

in a particular way (de una

-wise adverbios clockwise
determinada manera)

having the quality of the thing cloudy, rainy, fatty,

-y adjectivos
mentioned(que tiene cierta cualidad) thirsty, happy, sunny