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Spanish (Latin America)

### Expressing "Enough to" with *tan ... como para*

When you want to express that something has reached a threshold of intensity—such as being "so spicy as to" or "spicy enough to" cause a reaction—Spanish uses the structure **tan** + adjective + **como para**.

If the subject described by the adjective is the same one performing the resulting action, or if you are making a general statement, you follow **como para** directly with an **infinitive** verb.

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You will frequently see this structure in the negative to express that a threshold has *not* been reached. 

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### Changing Subjects with *como para que*

If the person or thing experiencing the outcome is different from the subject being described (e.g., "The stew isn't spicy enough *for you* to need milk"), you cannot use an infinitive. Instead, you must use **como para que**.

Because this structure sets up a potential or subjective outcome, the verb following **como para que** must always be conjugated in the **subjunctive** mood.

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### Thresholds in the Past

This structure works exactly the same way when telling stories in the past. Just remember that if the main clause is in a past tense, the verb following **como para que** must shift to the **imperfect subjunctive** to keep your timeline consistent.

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Degree thresholds (tan ... como para)

adjective

adverb

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

expression

interjection

noun

numeral

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Subject pronouns and the verb to be (yo soy)

Noun gender and definite articles (el, la)

Basic sentences and negation (no)

Indefinite articles (un, una)

Formal and informal you (tú vs. usted)

Plural pronouns and the verb to be (somos, son)

Making nouns plural (-s, -es)

Plural articles (los, las, unos, unas)

Noun gender exceptions

Adjective agreement

Invariable adjectives

State and location (estar)

Ser vs. estar

There is / there are (hay)

Hay vs. estar

To have (tener)

Possession (de)

Possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su)

Regular -ar verbs

Yes/No questions

What and who (qué, quién)

Regular -er verbs

Regular -ir verbs

Asking where (dónde, adónde)

How, when, and why (cómo, cuándo, por qué)

How much and how many (cuánto)

Days of the week

Going to a place (ir a)

Preposition contractions (al, del)

In and by (en)

With me and with you (conmigo, contigo)

Prepositional pronouns (mí, ti)

Conjunctions (y, o, pero)

Giving reasons (porque)

Stem-changing verbs (e to ie)

Stem-changing verbs (o to ue)

Stem-changing verbs (e to i)

Irregular yo forms (hago, salgo)

To know (saber vs. conocer)

Weather expressions (hace, está)

Desires and plans (querer)

Ability and requests (poder)

Obligations (tener que)

Expressing likes (me gusta)

Plural likes (me gustan)

Verbs like gustar (encantar, doler)

Very vs. a lot (muy, mucho)

Numbers 0 to 15 (cero, uno, dos…)

Numbers 16 to 31 (dieciséis, veinte…)

Numbers 30 to 1000 (treinta, cien, mil)

Months of the year (enero, febrero, marzo)

Seasons and dates (el dos de mayo)

Telling time (es la..., son las...)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (primero, segundo, tercero)

Reflexive pronouns and verbs (me, te, se, nos)

Direct object pronouns (lo, la, los, las)

The near future (ir a)

The present continuous (estar + -ando, -iendo)

Near demonstrative adjectives (este, esta, estos, estas)

Medium demonstrative adjectives (ese, esa, esos, esas)

Comparatives of inequality (más / menos ... que)

Comparatives of equality (tan ... como)

Indefinite and negative pronouns (algo, nada, alguien, nadie)

Affirmative commands

Far demonstratives (aquel, aquella)

Possessive pronouns (el mío, el tuyo)

Shortened indefinite adjectives (algún, ningún)

Adverbs of quantity (demasiado, bastante)

Adverbs of frequency (a menudo, a veces)

Adverb formation (-mente)

Exclamations (¡Qué...!)

Irregular comparatives (mejor, peor, mayor, menor)

Relative superlatives (el más... de)

Adjective intensification (-ísimo)

Indirect object pronouns

Pronoun placement with infinitives

Double object pronouns (me lo, te la)

The 'se lo' rule (se lo, se la)

Impersonal statements (se)

Impersonal obligation (hay que)

Personal obligation (deber)

Starting actions (empezar a)

Finishing and quitting actions (terminar de, dejar de)

Repeating actions (volver a)

Continuing actions (seguir + gerundio)

Question	Answer
chili pepper	el chile
palate	el paladar
The chili pepper is strong enough to burn your palate.	El chile es tan fuerte como para quemar el paladar.
burning sensation	el ardor
unbearable	inaguantable
The burning sensation of this chili pepper is unbearable.	El ardor de este chile es inaguantable.
tolerance	la tolerancia
chili pepper (South America)	el ají
I have low tolerance; that chili pepper is unbearable for me.	Tengo poca tolerancia; ese ají es inaguantable para mí.
to burn (to be on fire)	arder
I increased my tolerance by eating chili pepper, even if my palate burned.	Aumenté mi tolerancia comiendo ají, aunque me ardiera el paladar.
stew	el guiso
subtle	sutil
The flavor of the stew is not subtle enough to please you.	El sabor del guiso no es tan sutil como para gustarte.
to mask	enmascarar
touch	el toque
The garlic is not strong enough to mask a subtle touch.	El ajo no es tan fuerte como para enmascarar un toque sutil.
The stew is not spicy enough to need milk.	El guiso no es tan picante como para necesitar leche.
He added a tiny touch of chili pepper, but it isn't strong enough to make my mouth burn.	Añadió un toquecito de ají, pero no es tan fuerte como para que me arda la boca.
to soften	suavizar
The dish isn't spicy enough for you to soften the flavor.	El plato no es tan picante como para que suavices el sabor.
I hope your tolerance is high; the burning sensation is unbearable enough to make you cry.	Ojalá que tu tolerancia sea alta; el ardor es tan inaguantable como para que llores.
It surprised me that the stew was spicy enough to hurt his palate.	Me sorprendió que el guiso estuviera tan picante como para que le doliera el paladar.
The thing about yesterday was a disaster; I tried to soften the burning sensation with water, but it was useless.	Lo de ayer fue un desastre; intenté suavizar el ardor con agua, pero fue inútil.
The stew is so spicy as to mask the flavor of the chicken.	El guiso es tan picante como para enmascarar el sabor del pollo.