suficiente

Suficiente is a Spanish adjective meaning adequate to meet a need or requirement, equivalent to “sufficient” or “enough” in English. It is used to describe quantities, qualities, or conditions that satisfy a demand, as in “dinero suficiente” (enough money) or “horas suficientes” (sufficient hours). It can also function as a predicative adjective: “No es suficiente” (It is not enough).

Grammatical notes: Suficiente is invariable with respect to gender in the singular, appearing as sufficient before both masculine and feminine nouns (e.g., dinero suficiente, solución suficiente). The plural form is “suficientes” for both genders (e.g., recursos suficientes). The phrase “lo suficiente” can be used nominally to denote “the sufficient amount,” as in “no sabemos si tenemos lo suficiente.”

Adverbial form: The adverbial form “suficientemente” means “sufficiently” or “to a sufficient degree,” as in “El equipo trabajó suficientemente para lograr la meta.”

Etymology: Suficiente derives from Latin sufficiens, present participle of sufficere, meaning to be adequate or to suffice.

Technical usage: In logic and philosophy, the term appears in the phrase “condición suficiente,” describing a condition that guarantees a result but may not be the sole cause. For example, “La presencia de oxígeno es una condición suficiente para la combustión” (oxygen is a sufficient condition for combustion), though other factors can also enable the outcome.

Related terms: Suficiencia (noun) refers to sufficiency; sinónimos include bastante, adecuado. Antónimo común es insuficiente.