Demasiado/a/os/as & Demasiadamente

Question

I’ve seen ‘demasiado’ used to refer to excessive quantity, meaning ‘too much of something’, where it seems it has to agree with the gender & quantity of the thing(s) it describes, e.g.
• Demasiado zumo = too much juice
• Demasiada comida = too much food
• Demasiados hombres = too many men
• Demasiadas mujeres = too many women

Yet I’ve also seen it used as a kind of qualifying adverb for a related adjective, where it seems it doesn’t agree, e.g.
• El zumo es demasiado aguado = the juice is too watery
• La comida es demasiado caliente = the food is too hoy
• Los hombres están demasiado cansado = the men are too tired
• Las mujeres están demasiado candsadas = the women are too tired

Have I understood this correctly ? Also, when is ‘demasiadamente’ used ?
Can I say ‘ los hombres están demasiadamente cansados’ ?

Gracias

Definaitudilamente! (Danielismo for definitely) Sorry, never heard of demasiadamente. - Daniela2041, Nov 18, 2014

I'm with Dual G, as an adverb, demasiado is about as far as it goes. As an adjective your usage is OK. - Daniela2041, Nov 18, 2014

Gracias - Faldaesque, Nov 18, 2014

Answer 1

To answer your first question, yes you understand it correctly.

If being used as an adjective, it will agree in number and in gender (as all adjectives in Spanish do).

Demasiado zumo. Too much juice. Here it is describing the juice (too much).

Demasiados coches. Too many cars. Here it is describing the cars (too many).

If being used as an adverb, it will never vary, and is modifying an adjective, a verb, or another adverb.

El hombre es demasiado bajo para jugar al baloncesto. The man is short. Here you are saying how short he is... too short to play basketball.

La mujer está demasiado agobiada para pensar. The woman is overwhelmed. How overwhelmed? Too overwhelmed to think.

Thanks Tosh! - sanlee, Nov 19, 2014

Answer 2

"Demasiadamente" sounds odd to me. I don't think it's even a word.

Not sure what you mean, but I'd just say "los hombres están demasiado cansados’.

If you want to emphasize it more, use "excesivamente", as in "los hombres están excesivamente cansados’

It's here: http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/demasiadamente - Faldaesque, Nov 18, 2014

Wow! I learn something new every day around here. That word was not included in my advanced Spanish courses in college. And I have never heard other latinos/as around me use it. - Daniela2041, Nov 18, 2014

No Daniela. You did not. Whoever put that is wrong. That word is not in the RAE dictionary. - DualG, Nov 18, 2014

Google translator detects it as Portuguese... Ooh er, controversial !! - Faldaesque, Nov 18, 2014

Answer 3

I´ve been checking the spanish official dictionary (RAE) and.....demasiadamente exists!!!!. It exists as synonym of excesivamente. But I have to say that I never have read or heard it. Probably is one of this words that comes from old times and now nobody uses it.

Thank you, txustaboy, I just sort of figured it out. I am glad that the RAE backs me up. - Daniela2041, Nov 19, 2014

Answer 4

After I made my comment I had an epiphany!

There are other words like "demasiado" that can function as an adjective or an adverb.

Two simple ones: (for I am a simple person)

Lento--slow or slowly adjective--adverb

Rápido--fast or rapidly/quickly adjective--adverb

To each of them you can remove the "o" and replace with "a" , add "mente" and Voila!

Lentamente Rápidamente

So therefore "demasiado" = too much demasiados/as = too many

"demasiadamente" Again I say, Voila.

Again, this only works on a certain class of words that can function as both.

I knew this---I just forgot for a while!

This deserves a vote! - sanlee, Nov 19, 2014

Answer 5

All my (admittedly brief & cursory) efforts to identify 'demasiadamente' online seem to indicate it is Portuguese, not Spanish, but it definitely is on the SD dictionary (that's where I came across it !!)...