Spanish Phrase
¿Tenemos suficiente detergente para los platos?
Meaning
The sentence asks whether there is an adequate amount of dish‑washing detergent available. It can be used to check supplies before starting to wash dishes or before going shopping.
When to use
Use this question at home, in a shared apartment, or in a restaurant kitchen when you need to confirm that the detergent stock is sufficient for the upcoming washing task.
✦Grammar Breakdown
¿Tenemossuficientedetergenteparalosplatos?
Tenemos (present of tener)
First‑person plural present of "tener" meaning "we have"; used for asking about shared resources.
suficiente (adjective)
Means "enough"; placed before the noun it modifies and agrees in gender and number.
detergente (noun)
Masculine singular noun meaning "detergent"; can refer to dish‑washing liquid.
para (preposition)
Introduces the purpose or destination, here "for" the dishes.
los platos (definite article + noun)
Plural masculine noun with the definite article, meaning "the dishes" (the plates).
🗨In Conversation
¿Tenemos suficiente detergente para los platos?
Do we have enough detergent for the dishes?
Mira, solo queda una botella pequeña. Mejor compramos otra.
Look, there’s only a small bottle left. We should buy another one.
✕Common Mistakes
¿Tienes suficiente detergente para los platos?
Use "tienes" only for singular "you"; the sentence refers to a group, so "tenemos" is correct.
¿Tenemos suficientes detergente para los platos?
"Suficiente" already agrees with the singular noun "detergente"; adding an -s makes it plural and incorrect.
¿Tenemos suficiente detergente para el plato?
The plural "platos" is needed because you are referring to dishes in general, not a single plate.
↔Alternatives
¿Hay suficiente detergente para lavar los platos?
Is there enough detergent to wash the dishes?
¿Contamos con suficiente detergente para los platos?
Do we have enough detergent for the dishes?
¿Queda suficiente detergente para los platos?
Is there enough detergent left for the dishes?
Cultural Tip
In many Spanish‑speaking households, dishes are still washed by hand, so people often keep a specific "detergente para los platos" separate from laundry detergent. When speaking to someone from Latin America, remember that the "c" in "suficiente" is pronounced as /s/ (su‑fi‑SI‑en‑te) rather than the Castilian /θ/.