Today’s Spanish word of the day is “bastar”.
It’s a verb meaning “to be enough” or “to suffice”.
It’s commonly used in the refrain “¡Ya basta!”, translating as “That’s enough!” or “Enough already!”
It’s related to the adjective “bastante”, meaning “enough” or “quite a lot”.
The word “bastar” derives from the Greek word bastazein, meaning “to carry” or “to bear”. Presumably the word acquired its current meaning in Spanish as the concept of having enough of something is closely related to that of having as much as you can carry or bear.
There’s no relation between Spanish “bastar” and English “bastard”, in case you were wondering!
Example sentences
A veces, una sonrisa basta para alegrar el día de alguien.
Sometimes, a smile is enough to brighten someone’s day.
Con eso basta para hoy.
That’s enough for today.
Ya basta de excusas.
Enough with the excuses.
Ese dinero basta y sobra para comprar lo que necesitamos.
That money is more than enough to buy what we need.
No basta con pedir perdón, tienes que cambiar.
It’s not enough to apologize; you have to change.
