How to Say "completely" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “completely” is “completamente” — use 'completamente' when something is finished, full, or entirely in a certain state, often implying a lack of anything else..
completamente
/kom-pleh-tah-men-teh//komˌple.taˈmen.te/
Examples
El vaso está completamente vacío.
The glass is completely empty.
Estoy completamente seguro de mi respuesta.
I am completely sure of my answer.
Olvidé completamente su cumpleaños.
I completely forgot his birthday.
What is an Adverb?
Words like 'completamente' are adverbs. They describe how an action is done or add intensity to another word. Think of them as adding detail, like saying 'run quickly' instead of just 'run'.
The '-mente' Trick
In Spanish, you can often turn an adjective (a describing word) into an adverb by adding '-mente' to the end of its feminine form. 'Completa' (complete) becomes 'completamente' (completely). It's just like adding '-ly' in English!
Placement Matters
Mistake: “Using 'completo' instead of 'completamente'. For example, 'Estoy completo seguro.'”
Correction: The correct way is 'Estoy completamente seguro.' You need the '-mente' ending to describe *how* you feel (completely sure), not just to describe a thing.
totalmente
/toh-tahl-men-teh//toˌtalˈmente/
Examples
La habitación estaba totalmente a oscuras.
The room was completely dark.
Olvidé totalmente que hoy era tu cumpleaños.
I totally forgot that today was your birthday.
El proyecto está totalmente terminado.
The project is fully finished.
What is an Adverb?
An adverb is a word that describes an action (verb) or adds more detail to a descriptive word (adjective). 'Totalmente' tells you 'how much' or 'to what extent' something is done or is.
Making '-mente' Adverbs
In Spanish, you can turn many descriptive words into adverbs by adding '-mente'. Just take the feminine form of the word and add '-mente'. For example, 'total' (which is the same for masculine and feminine) becomes 'totalmente'.
Word Order
Mistake: “Estoy de acuerdo totalmente.”
Correction: Estoy totalmente de acuerdo. While the first version isn't strictly wrong, it's much more natural to place 'totalmente' right before the word it's describing ('de acuerdo').
absolutamente
ab-soh-loo-tah-men-tay/aβsoluˈtamente/
Examples
La respuesta es absolutamente correcta.
The answer is absolutely correct.
Estábamos absolutamente seguros de que ganaría el partido.
We were completely sure that he would win the game.
El trabajo está absolutamente terminado. Podemos irnos.
The work is utterly finished. We can leave.
Adverb Placement
Like most adverbs ending in -mente, 'absolutamente' usually goes before the adjective or after the verb it is modifying.
todo
/TOH-doh//ˈto.ðo/
Examples
El niño volvió del parque todo sucio.
The boy came back from the park all dirty.
Después de correr, estaba toda sudada.
After running, she was all sweaty.
Se pusieron todos nerviosos antes del examen.
They all got very nervous before the exam.
An Adverb that Changes?
This is a special case. Even though it's used like 'completely' or 'very', it still changes to todo, toda, todos, or todas to match the person or thing it's describing.
Confusing 'completamente' and 'totalmente'
Related Translations
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