How to say enough in Italian
Basta!
Use basta to say enough in Italian when you’ve just had enough.
Basta!
That’s enough! I’ve had enough!
For example, you can say…
Ora basta! Mattia, fila subito in camera tua!
That’s enough! Mattia, go straight to your room!
Basta, me ne vado!
That’s it, I’m leaving!
Basta parlare! Torna a lavorare!
That’s enough talking! Get back to work!
Ne ho abbastanza!
You can also translate enough as ne ho abbastanza, literally I have enough of it. You use this when someone or something is so annoying that you can’t take it anymore, just like basta!.
Ne ho abbastanza! Smettetela di fare casino!
Enough is enough! Stop messing around!
Ne ho abbastanza del tuo comportamento!
I’ve had enough of your behavior!
Ne ho abbastanza di questa pioggia! Quando arriva il sole?
I’ve had enough of this rain! When is the sun coming?
Where does basta come from?
Basta is a present impersonal conjugation of the verb bastare, which means to be enough.
Although there are verb conjugations like I am enough in the language (io basto), we usually use this verb in the third person singular and plural to translate that something is enough.
| basta | bastano |
| it’s enough (singular subject) | they are enough (plural subject) |
Questo zucchero non basta per fare una torta.
This sugar is not enough to make a cake.
Queste uova non bastano. Ne abbiamo altre?
These eggs are not enough. Do we have any more?
If you want to say that something is enough for you, you’ll have to use an indirect object pronoun.
| Pronoun | English |
|---|---|
| Mi | to me |
| Ti | to you (sing.) |
| Gli, le | to it (m/f) |
| Ci | to us |
| Vi | to you (pl.) |
| Gli, loro | to them (m/f) |
For example, you can say…
Mi bastano cinque minuti per creare la bozza del disegno.
I only need five minutes to create the draft design.
Non mi bastano le nostre telefonate. Voglio anche vederti.
Our phone calls are not enough for me. I want to see you too.
Ti bastano sei polpette per cena?
Will six meatballs be enough for you for dinner?
Abbastanza
Abbastanza is another standard translation for enough in Italian. It’s a synonym of the verb bastare, but because it’s an adverb, it’s associated with a verb, not a noun.
For example, you can say…
Non avete ancora mangiato abbastanza? Siete dei pozzi senza fondo!
Haven’t you had enough to eat yet? You are bottomless pits!
Literally: Haven’t you eaten enough already?
Hai dormito abbastanza stanotte?
Did you sleep enough last night?
It can also be used as an adjective. It doesn’t have any variants because it doesn’t have to agree in gender and number with the noun it’s bound to.
Avrai abbastanza forza per alzare questo masso?
Will you have enough strength to lift this boulder?
Non ho abbastanza olio per friggere.
I don’t have enough frying oil.
Finally, abbastanza can also mean quite or pretty.
Questo vestito è abbastanza caro. Non credo di potermelo permettere.
This dress is quite expensive. I don’t think I can afford it.
More free Italian resources
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