pequeños

Pequeños is the plural masculine form of the Spanish adjective pequeño, meaning small or little. It is used to describe masculine plural nouns, as in libros pequeños (small books). The feminine plural form is pequeñas, and adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.

As a noun, los pequeños can refer to young children or, more generally, to the smaller members of a group. In this usage, the term is often translated as “the little ones” or “the children.” Examples include expressions like los pequeños de la casa (the little ones at home) or los pequeños de la ciudad (the youngsters of the city).

Etymology and form: pequeño derives from Latin parvus and evolved in Spanish with the addition of the suffix -eño, a common development in the formation of adjectives describing size or magnitude. The word has several related forms in Spanish, such as pequeño, pequeñas, pequeñito (diminutive), and pequeñez (the quality or state of being small).

Usage notes: As with other adjectives, pequeño requires gender and number agreement with the noun. It often appears in common phrases describing size, age, or value, such as objeto pequeño (small object), pueblo pequeño (small town), or persona pequeña (small person, in reference to stature or age). It can convey affection or emphasis when used in diminutive forms like pequeñito or pequeñísima, depending on context.

See also: pequeño, pequeñez, pequeñito, diminutivo.