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Cerchiamo di finire il compito, possibilmente in tempo.

Cerchiamo di finire il compito, possibilmente in tempo.
We try to finish the task, possibly in time.
From Lesson 467:Adverbs from -le and -re adjectives (-mente)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Cerchiamo di finire il compito, possibilmente in tempo.

Why is it spelled possibilmente and not "possibilemente"?
When an adjective ends in -le or -re (like possibile), Italian drops the final -e before adding the adverb suffix -mente. So, possibile becomes possibil-, resulting in possibilmente. This rule prevents clumsy double vowel sounds and applies to similar words like facile (facilmente) or regolare (regolarmente).
Why does the sentence use di after Cerchiamo?
When the verb cercare means "to try" or "to attempt" and is followed by another verb (an infinitive like finire), it always requires the preposition di. If you omit the di, cercare just means "to look for."
Could I use Proviamo a finire here instead of Cerchiamo di finire?
Yes, they are very often interchangeable, but there is a slight nuance. Cercare di strongly emphasizes making an effort to achieve a specific goal (getting the task done). Provare a can sometimes sound more like an experiment, like "let's see what happens if we try to finish it."
How does in tempo differ from in orario?
In tempo means "in time" (before a deadline or before it is too late). In orario means exactly "on time" or punctual according to a strict schedule, like a train arriving. Since finishing a task is usually about beating a deadline rather than sticking to a fixed timetable, in tempo is the natural choice here.

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