Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): La docena es suficiente para el desayuno del domingo. - The dozen is enough for Sunday breakfast.

La docena = the dozen (a specific dozen that both speaker and listener know about, or the standard dozen being discussed).
Una docena = a dozen (non‑specific; just some dozen).

So:

La docena es suficiente suggests “the dozen we have / the dozen we’re talking about is enough.”
Una docena es suficiente sounds more like a general statement: “A dozen is enough (in general).”

Both are grammatically correct; the choice depends on context and what you want to emphasize.

Why is it docena instead of just saying doce?

Both are possible, but they’re used slightly differently:

Doce huevos son suficientes. = Twelve eggs are enough.
La docena de huevos es suficiente. = The dozen (of eggs) is enough.

Doce just names the number.
Docena expresses the idea of a standard unit/pack of 12, like in English “a dozen.” It can sound a bit more natural when talking about things typically bought in dozens (eggs, donuts, etc.).

Why is it es suficiente and not está suficiente?

With adjectives like suficiente, Spanish normally uses ser, not estar, to describe something’s general or inherent quality:

La docena es suficiente. = The dozen is enough (in quantity).

Using estar here (La docena está suficiente) is ungrammatical in standard Spanish.

Ser is used for:

Quantities: es suficiente, es poco, es mucho
General characteristics: es importante, es necesario

So whenever you want to say something “is enough,” you’ll use ser: es suficiente.

Does suficiente change for gender or number?

Suficiente does not change for gender, but it does change for number:

Singular: suficiente
- La docena es suficiente.
- Un huevo es suficiente.
Plural: suficientes
- Las docenas son suficientes.
- Los huevos son suficientes.

So the adjective agrees in number with the thing that “is enough.”

Could I say basta instead of es suficiente?

Yes, you can use basta in similar contexts, but the structure changes:

La docena es suficiente. = The dozen is enough.
Con la docena basta. or La docena basta. = The dozen is enough / A dozen will do.

Basta is more like “it’s enough” or “it suffices.” It’s common in everyday speech, especially in Latin America:

Con una docena basta para el desayuno del domingo.

Both es suficiente and basta are natural; basta can sound a bit more colloquial and direct.

Why do we use para in para el desayuno and not por?

In this sentence, para expresses purpose or intended use:

Es suficiente para el desayuno. = It is enough for the breakfast (for the purpose of breakfast).

General guidelines:

Use para for purpose, goals, or intended recipient:
- Es suficiente para el desayuno.
- Es comida para el perro.
Use por for cause, reason, movement through, time duration, etc.:
- Lo compré por cinco dólares. (price)
- Pasé por tu casa. (movement through)

So para el desayuno is correct because we’re talking about what the dozen is for.

Why is it para el desayuno and not just para desayuno?

In Spanish, meals usually take the definite article el / la when you refer to them in a specific way:

El desayuno, el almuerzo, la cena

In this sentence, el desayuno del domingo is a specific breakfast (Sunday’s breakfast), so the article is expected:

para el desayuno del domingo = for Sunday’s breakfast

You might omit the article in some more general expressions (especially fixed phrases), but in this kind of concrete situation, para el desayuno is the natural choice.

What does del in del domingo mean? Why not de el domingo?

Del is simply the contraction of de + el:

de + el domingo → del domingo

Spanish always contracts de + el to del (and a + el to al):

Voy al supermercado. (a + el)
Es el libro del profesor. (de + el)

So para el desayuno del domingo literally is for the breakfast of the Sunday, i.e., “for Sunday’s breakfast.” Writing de el domingo is considered incorrect.

Why do we say el domingo with an article? English just says “Sunday.”

Spanish normally uses the definite article with days of the week:

el lunes, el martes, el domingo

Some patterns:

To talk about a specific day:
- Vamos a vernos el domingo. = We’re going to see each other on Sunday.
To talk about something that happens regularly:
- Trabaja los domingos. = He/She works on Sundays.

Here, del domingo is “of the Sunday,” which in natural English becomes “Sunday’s.” The article is required in Spanish; omitting it (de domingo) would sound odd in this context.

Could I say La docena para el desayuno del domingo es suficiente? Is that word order okay?

Yes, La docena para el desayuno del domingo es suficiente is grammatically correct.

The original sentence:

La docena es suficiente para el desayuno del domingo.

Focus differences (subtle):

Original: emphasizes that “the dozen is enough” and then adds “for Sunday’s breakfast.”
Reordered: foregrounds “the dozen for Sunday’s breakfast” as a unit, then says it is enough.

Both are acceptable; the original is more neutral and common.

Could I leave out la docena and just say Es suficiente para el desayuno del domingo?

Yes, if the context makes it clear what you’re talking about, Spanish can drop the noun and just say:

Es suficiente para el desayuno del domingo. = It’s enough for Sunday’s breakfast.

Spanish frequently omits subjects (and sometimes obvious nouns) when they’re understood from the situation. But if you’re writing the sentence in isolation, you normally include la docena so the meaning is clear.