Demasiado and Bastante

Question

Demasiado--does it mean "too much" or "so much" or both??? I can't figure out when this is used. Can it be used by itself, or only in sentences? (Example: Too much! vs. She ate too much. Demasiado! vs. Ella comio demasiado.) Bastante--Can you use bastante by itself, as if to yell "Enough!!!" like "Bastante!!!" Or is it just used in sentences, like, we don't have enough money for a car, no tenemos bastante dinero para un carro. ?? thanks!!

Answer 1

Demasiado - You could say, Los hermanos eran demasiados y demasiado, meaning,

The brothers were too many (there too many of them) and they were too much (out of hand). In the first case, demasiado is an adjective meaning too many (but it can also be an adjective meaning too much) and in the second case it's an adverb.

Bastante - Used by itself to say Enough!, you would say ¡Basta!

Suerte,

J

Basta is a word I often heard in my sisters house when the children were small :) - MaryMcc, Aug 14, 2011

thanks! so, why would the second 'demasiado' be singular and not the first? because 'too much' is a singular adverb ? - dondestascorazon, Sep 11, 2011

Answer 2

Well, Bastante does not always mean "enough" in the sense you are thinking, it can mean that, but it usually means "more than enough" or "plenty" like "loads of"

Tengo bastante dinero = I have plenty of money. A lot of it. Not just enough

Tengo suficiente dinero. I have enough money.

Sí tengo dinero. - I have money this is how people around me would say they have enough money.

No tenemos bastante dinero para un carro -

No tenemos suficiente dinero para comprar un carro

No tenemos dinero para comprar un carro.

Like Jeremias said enough is ¡Basta! or ¡Basta ya! or ¡Ya Basta! but that means "that's enough, stop" not she ate enough.

Gracias

Just my two cents, not a native but this is how I see it. Gracias. - jeezzle, Aug 14, 2011

Answer 3

I agree. Remember enough = bastante o basta