Nouns with "alterations" / Nomi alterati

"Booklet" from "book" is one of the few derivatives of Eng. nouns. Derivatives, called "nomi alterati", are much more frequent in It. and can be grouped into four main classes:

Diminutivi or "make it smaller"

The typical ending is "-ino", so "ragazzino" is a small boy and "tazzina" is a small cup (from "ragazzo, tazza" - boy, cup).

False diminutives are words that look as if they were derivatives but they are not; or, if they were in the past, they are now living a new life of their own. For example, "pulcino" ( chick) is not a small "pulce" ( flea).
"Finestrino" (from "finestra" window) is not a small window but a window in a train, bus, car, etc. A small window is rather a "finestrella", using a different ending. Notice that while "finestra" is a f. noun, "finestrino" has changed into the m. gender. This phenomenon is also found with other derivatives - see below and
A "panino" is not a small loaf of "pane" ( bread) but a sandwich.

Vezzeggiativi or "make it nicer"

"Casetta" can be a small house like "casina" but more often than not it is a term of appreciation for a pretty house - especially one's own.

Here again we find false or partial derivatives: a "forchetta" ( a fork you eat with) is not - or no longer - related to "forca", the gallows. A "libretto" is a pretty little book but the word may specifically refer to the script of an opera as in "Il libretto dell'Aida".

As the examples show, there is some overlapping between this group and the previous one - somehow, "small" and "pretty" tend to go together.

However, one has to be careful - there are notable exceptions. For example, "una donnetta" is not a pretty little woman but a woman of no importance or prone to gossiping etc.

Accrescitivi or "make it bigger"

"Ragazzone, tazzona" are typical derivatives of this group: a big boy, a big cup.

"Un donnone" is an oversize woman - and here again we find that f. "donna" changes to m. "donnone." "Una ragazzona", instead, is just a big (tall, well-built) girl.

"Porta" (f.) is the door in a house or a flat; m. "portone" is the door or gate at the entrance of a building, a block of flats, a palace, etc.

Peggiorativi or "make it worse"

"Un lavoraccio" (from "lavoro" job, work) is a bad job, something one hates having to do. "Una stradaccia" is a bad road. "Che tempaccio!" ( What bad weather!) you may say if it is raining hard. And you can guess a "donnaccia"'s profession.

However, "focaccia" is a type of flat bread and has nothing to do with "foca", a seal or sea-leopard.