Question 1

If I wanted to say 'I simply and completely don't understand', how would I combine simplemente and completamente here?

Accepted Answer

When you link two -mente adverbs with y (and), you drop -mente from the first one, leaving it as a feminine singular adjective. Because the adjective simple ends in -e, its feminine form is just simple. So, you would say simple y completamente no entiendo...

Question 2

How exactly is the word simplemente formed?

Accepted Answer

Adverbs ending in -mente (which is like the English '-ly') are built by adding -mente to the feminine singular form of an adjective. Since the adjective simple does not change for gender, you just attach the ending directly to get simplemente.

Question 3

Could I put simplemente after the verb, saying No entiendo simplemente el problema?

Accepted Answer

That sounds unnatural here. Adverbs that express your overall attitude or modify the entire sentence (like simplemente, afortunadamente, or francamente) generally go at the very beginning of the phrase, right before the no.

Question 4

Wait, why is it el problema? Shouldn't words ending in -a be feminine?

Accepted Answer

While most Spanish nouns ending in -a are feminine, problema is a classic exception. Many words ending in -ma, -pa, and -ta that originated from Greek are masculine. Other common examples you might need to refresh are el mapa (the map), el clima (the climate), and el planeta (the planet).

Simplemente no entiendo el problema.

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