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This is interesting. We have the same in France. The first big "big surface" stores were named supermarché, then we got hypermarché and the funniest is that no

by Loic 2y ago

This is interesting. We have the same in France. The first big "big surface" stores were named supermarché, then we got hypermarché and the funniest is that now we have superette, a small surface store, branded like the super/hyper but within the city center. The "ette" French suffix is to reduce the main word.

_nalply 2y ago
You mean a diminutive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminutive https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminutive > A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle something or someone. Yeah, it's funny, a word consisting both of an augmentative (the opposite of diminutive) and a diminutive.
- Loic 2y ago
  Thank you, I had the German word in mind and was not able to find the English one in my foggy brain.
  - Timwi 2y ago
    Um. The German word is Diminutiv. Were you thinking of „Verkleinerungsform“? Do people still use those Germanized terms? It feels a little old-fashioned to me, like saying „besitzanzeigendes Fürwort“ instead of Possessivpronomen.
    - LeonidasXIV 2y ago
      > Do people still use those Germanized terms? In a way? I always found it more sensible to use German words like "Namenwort" instead of "Nomen" to express German grammar, instead of using latin terms. After all Latin is a language that comes from a completely different language family to start with and is not used at all in Germany except when wanting to pretend you're fancy (law, medicine, grammar).
    - Loic 2y ago
      I had the word "Verniedlichung" in mind, of course this is also not the right term, but as I been living outside of France for the past 25 years, switching daily between French, German and English, I am sometimes "stuck" and can't get the right word out. And this in whatever language I am thinking at the moment. I now accept that I am losing my French while not being really fluent in any other language.
  - _nalply 2y ago
    Same for me. My brain broke down somewhat, but luckily I am retired. I often ask AI like "What's the word for a smaller variant of something?", super helpful.
PetitPrince 2y ago
I think supermarché is more a type of shop that offers products that are traditionally from different shop (you've got a bakery, green-grocer, butcher, cheese-monger, electronics, etc... under one shop), while the hypermarché are really defined the "big surface" you mentioned. So it make sense to have a superette in the corner of the street that offer everyday goods while an hypermarché have clothing, DIY materials, big appliances, etc. on sale..
- mytailorisrich 2y ago
  Actually, there is a definition for "hypermarket", which is to combine supermarket and department store [1]. Most supermarkets that are big enough are in fact "hypermarkets" nowadays. A "superette" is a small supermarket. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermarket https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermarket
  - PetitPrince 2y ago
    Sorry I explained myself poorly: I wasn't saying that a superette wasn't a supermarket, I was pointing out that OP curious remark about superette being a "small big shop" wasn't as contradictory as it seems. Also, while we're digging Wikipedia: the French one points to the national statistic institute that have a definition of an hypermarket as "non specialized store that's over 2 500 m^2 in surface and make more than a third of their revenue from food".
robertlagrant 2y ago
> we have superette, a small surface store, branded like the super/hyper but within the city center I think we visited a few of those when we had a family holiday to France last year. They seemed really nice.
obiefernandez 2y ago
In Mexico I’ve seen a lot of small shops (what we would call “bodegas” in US cities) called Mini-Super. Always gives me a chuckle.
- zero_bias 2y ago
  There is a supermarket chain called Big C in Thailand, and the smallest ones are called Mini Big C, which has always amused me.
OJFord 2y ago
That's meaningful though, at least in my experiences in France circa twenty years ago, a supermarché would be a supermarket like here in the UK, and a hypermarché would have all kinds of other stuff like clothes, back to school stationery, seasonal gear/toys, etc. - as well as other mini shops around the edge, cutting keys, McDo, etc.

by Loic 2y ago

_nalply 2y ago

You mean a diminutive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminutive https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminutive > A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle something or someone. Yeah, it's funny, a word consisting both of an augmentative (the opposite of diminutive) and a diminutive.

Loic 2y ago
Thank you, I had the German word in mind and was not able to find the English one in my foggy brain.
- Timwi 2y ago
  Um. The German word is Diminutiv. Were you thinking of „Verkleinerungsform“? Do people still use those Germanized terms? It feels a little old-fashioned to me, like saying „besitzanzeigendes Fürwort“ instead of Possessivpronomen.
  - LeonidasXIV 2y ago
    > Do people still use those Germanized terms? In a way? I always found it more sensible to use German words like "Namenwort" instead of "Nomen" to express German grammar, instead of using latin terms. After all Latin is a language that comes from a completely different language family to start with and is not used at all in Germany except when wanting to pretend you're fancy (law, medicine, grammar).
  - Loic 2y ago
    I had the word "Verniedlichung" in mind, of course this is also not the right term, but as I been living outside of France for the past 25 years, switching daily between French, German and English, I am sometimes "stuck" and can't get the right word out. And this in whatever language I am thinking at the moment. I now accept that I am losing my French while not being really fluent in any other language.
- _nalply 2y ago
  Same for me. My brain broke down somewhat, but luckily I am retired. I often ask AI like "What's the word for a smaller variant of something?", super helpful.

PetitPrince 2y ago

I think supermarché is more a type of shop that offers products that are traditionally from different shop (you've got a bakery, green-grocer, butcher, cheese-monger, electronics, etc... under one shop), while the hypermarché are really defined the "big surface" you mentioned. So it make sense to have a superette in the corner of the street that offer everyday goods while an hypermarché have clothing, DIY materials, big appliances, etc. on sale..

mytailorisrich 2y ago
Actually, there is a definition for "hypermarket", which is to combine supermarket and department store [1]. Most supermarkets that are big enough are in fact "hypermarkets" nowadays. A "superette" is a small supermarket. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermarket https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermarket
- PetitPrince 2y ago
  Sorry I explained myself poorly: I wasn't saying that a superette wasn't a supermarket, I was pointing out that OP curious remark about superette being a "small big shop" wasn't as contradictory as it seems. Also, while we're digging Wikipedia: the French one points to the national statistic institute that have a definition of an hypermarket as "non specialized store that's over 2 500 m^2 in surface and make more than a third of their revenue from food".

robertlagrant 2y ago

> we have superette, a small surface store, branded like the super/hyper but within the city center I think we visited a few of those when we had a family holiday to France last year. They seemed really nice.

obiefernandez 2y ago

In Mexico I’ve seen a lot of small shops (what we would call “bodegas” in US cities) called Mini-Super. Always gives me a chuckle.

zero_bias 2y ago
There is a supermarket chain called Big C in Thailand, and the smallest ones are called Mini Big C, which has always amused me.

OJFord 2y ago

That's meaningful though, at least in my experiences in France circa twenty years ago, a supermarché would be a supermarket like here in the UK, and a hypermarché would have all kinds of other stuff like clothes, back to school stationery, seasonal gear/toys, etc. - as well as other mini shops around the edge, cutting keys, McDo, etc.