Supersizing Words with -ão
In Portuguese, you can make things bigger or more intense by adding the augmentative suffix -ão (or variations like -arão) to the end of a noun. It is the opposite of the diminutive -inho.
When you add -ão to a feminine noun, it almost always flips to masculine.
| Original | Augmentative |
|---|---|
| a casa (house) | o casarão (mansion) |
| a sala (living room) | o salão (large hall) |
| a janela (window) | o janelão (large window) |
| a cadeira (chair) | o cadeirão (armchair) |
| o carro (car) | o carrão (flashy / large car) |
| There is a huge mansion on that street. | Há um casarão enorme naquela rua. |
| I think that the large hall has a large window. | Eu acho que o salão tem um janelão. |
| My grandfather sleeps in that armchair in the large hall. | O meu avô dorme naquele cadeirão no salão. |
| The director bought an exaggerated flashy car. | O diretor comprou um carrão exagerado. |
Adjectives and Exaggeration
The -ão suffix doesn't just apply to nouns. It can also attach to adjectives to emphasize a trait, like turning grande (big) into grandalhão (bulky or hulking).
| The bulky man drives the flashy car. | O homem grandalhão conduz o carrão. |
Of course, you don't always need a suffix to describe something massive. You can also rely on strong adjectives like enorme (huge) and exagerado (exaggerated) to describe oversized features and luxury (o luxo).
| The mansion has an exaggerated luxury. | O casarão tem um luxo exagerado. |
| They painted a huge wall yesterday. | Eles pintaram um muro enorme ontem. |
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