suffisamment

Suffisamment is an adverb in French meaning “to a degree that is enough to meet a need” or “in a quantity that is adequate.” It serves to assess the sufficiency of an action, quality, or quantity and can modify verbs (Il a travaillé suffisamment longtemps), adjectives (Il est suffisamment grand pour voir la scène), or other adverbs. It can also introduce a quantity with de + nom: suffisamment d’argent, suffisamment de temps.

Etymology and form: Suffisamment is derived from suffisant (an adjective meaning sufficient) with the adverbial suffix -ement. The sense is ultimately from Latin sufficiens, from sufficere “to suffice.” The word is invariable in gender and number, and it does not change form to agree with what it modifies.

Usage and nuance: Compared with assez, suffisamment tends to be more formal and precise, often signaling a minimum threshold rather than a vague adequacy. The negative form pas suffisamment is common to indicate insufficiency. In many contexts, suffisant is used as an adjective (un budget suffisant; une solution suffisante) while suffisamment functions as an adverb coordinating the degree of an action or attribute.

Examples: Il a suffisamment dormi pour se sentir reposé. Le budget est suffisamment élevé pour couvrir les frais. Elle parle suffisamment bien le français pour se faire comprendre. Suffisamment d’eau est nécessaire pour nourrir la plante.

See also: synonyms include assez; antonyms include insuffisant and pas assez. The expression à suffisance is rare and mainly literary.