How to Say "adequately" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “adequately” is “suficientemente” — use 'suficientemente' when you mean 'enough' to meet a certain level or requirement, often implying a need for more if the standard isn't met..
suficientemente
/soo-fee-syen-teh-men-tay//su.fiˌθjen.teˈmen.te/
Examples
No está **suficientemente** caliente, necesito calentarlo más.
It is not **sufficiently** hot; I need to heat it more.
Ella habló **suficientemente** alto para que todos la oyeran.
She spoke **loudly enough** so that everyone could hear her.
¿Está **suficientemente** claro lo que tenemos que hacer?
Is it **clear enough** what we have to do?
Adverbs and Degree
As an adverb, suficientemente is used to describe or modify the meaning of an adjective (like 'caliente') or another adverb (like 'rápido').
Invariable Form
This word always stays the same. It does not change based on whether the subject is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.
Adverb vs. Adjective
Mistake: “Using *suficientemente* when describing a noun: *Tengo suficientamente dinero.*”
Correction: Use the adjective *suficiente* when describing a noun: *Tengo **suficiente** dinero.* The adverb *suficientemente* only describes actions or qualities.
debidamente
/deh-bee-dah-men-teh//deβiðaˈmente/
Examples
Los documentos deben estar **debidamente** firmados.
The documents must be **properly** signed.
Los documentos deben estar debidamente firmados.
The documents must be properly signed.
El personal está debidamente capacitado para esta tarea.
The staff is duly trained for this task.
Asegúrese de que el equipo esté debidamente instalado antes de usarlo.
Make sure the equipment is correctly installed before using it.
Adverbs ending in -mente
Just like '-ly' in English, Spanish adverbs ending in '-mente' describe HOW an action is done and never change their form, regardless of whether you are talking about a man, a woman, or a group.
Positioning 'debidamente'
This word usually comes after the verb it describes, or between a helper verb (like 'está') and a description (like 'firmado').
Confusing 'debido' and 'debidamente'
Mistake: “El contrato está debido firmado.”
Correction: El contrato está debidamente firmado. Use the adverb ending in '-mente' when you are describing the action of signing, not the contract itself.
Suficientemente vs. Debidamente
Related Translations
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