Expressing Amount with Demasiado, Bastante and Suficiente

Indefinites are words that indicate the non-specific quantity of a noun. As adjectives, demasiado, bastante, and suficiente will help you indicate different amounts of something. As adverbs, they indicate that something was done with a certain intensity.

Demasiado - Use and Form

Rule 1. Demasiado expresses that there is too much of something. In other words, the quantity is more than what is needed or desired.

Rule 2. As you can see in the example, demasiado has a feminine variation, which means that it must agree in number and gender. Moreover, it is placed before the noun that it is complementing. Here are its four variations with examples:

Rule 3. To make the form negative, simply add a negative word before the main verb.

Bastante - Use and Form

Rule 4. Bastante expresses that there is plenty of something, or that the quantity is desired and even a little more than what was desired, but not excessive.

Rule 5. As you can see in the example, bastante does not have a feminine variation, this means that it only varies in number. Just like demasiado, it is placed before the noun that it is complementing. Here are its two variations with examples:

It is not common to use bastante in a negative sentence. Instead, you can use the negative forms of mucho (not much) or suficiente (not enough).

Suficiente - Use and Form

Rule 6. Suficiente expresses that we have a fair amount of something. In other words, it expresses that the quantity is enough. In contrast with demasiado and bastante, it is not uncommon to see suficiente placed after the noun, though it is still generally placed before.

Rule 7. Just like bastante, suficiente only varies in number.

Rule 8. To make the form negative, simply add a negative word before the main verb.

Demasiado and Bastante as Adverbs

When demasiado and bastante are used as adverbs, they do not accompany a noun, so they do not have to be ordered in number or gender. Instead, they will accompany a verb and indicate the intensity with which the action is performed. Suficiente is not used as an adverb.