no del todo
/no del todo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "not quite" is translated into Spanish as no del todo.
Used to say that something is almost true or complete, but not entirely.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of no (not), del (of the) and todo (all/whole), literally meaning "not of the whole".
Which one should you use?
While no del todo means "not quite" or "not entirely", it is more common to use todavía no (not yet) if you are implying that something is expected to be completed soon.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase no del todo is adverbial and can be placed after a verb or at the end of a sentence to modify the degree of an action or state.
How do you pronounce it?
/no del todo/
Did you know?
- While no del todo means 'not quite', using it to describe someone's personality can sound subtly judgmental, implying they lack a certain quality.
- The word del in no del todo is a mandatory contraction of de and el, and using them separately is considered a grammatical error.
- The word todo in no del todo shares an ancient root with the English word 'total', both descending from the Latin 'tōtus'.
Examples in context
- La respuesta no es exactamente correctaThe answer is not exactly correct
- La información proporcionada no es del todo precisaThe information provided is not entirely accurate
- El proyecto no está completamente terminadoThe project is not completely finished
- No exactamente lo que tenía en menteNot exactly what I had in mind
- No del todo seguroNot entirely sure
- No del todo acertadoNot entirely right
- No estoy del todo seguro.I am not quite sure.
Example conversation
Maria and Alejandro are discussing a project they are working on.
- María¿Ya terminaste la presentación, Alejandro?Did you finish the presentation, Alejandro?
- AlejandroNo del todo, me falta una página.Not quite, I'm missing one page.
- María¿Entonces ya podemos enviarla?So, can we send it now?
- AlejandroTodavía no, dáme diez minutos.Not yet, give me ten minutes.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries del, no, todo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
