Bastar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

bastar means “to be enough” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Bastar means to be enough, and it is used when a quantity, a time or a word is sufficient: a little water is enough, one hour of study is enough, your word is enough. It is usually used in the third person, as in basta con un poco, because the thing that is enough is the subject, not a person. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of bastar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the bastar present tense page.

bastar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with bastar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Eso basta con un poco de agua. — A little water is enough.
  2. Eso basta con una hora de estudio. — One hour of study is enough.
  3. Eso basta con tu palabra. — Your word is enough.
  4. Eso basta con este dinero. — This money is enough.

In the past

Four sentences with bastar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Eso bastó con tu palabra. — Yesterday, Your word was enough.
  2. Antes, Eso bastaba con este dinero. — Before, This money used to be enough.
  3. Ayer, Eso bastó con un poco de agua. — Yesterday, A little water was enough.
  4. De niños, Eso bastaba con una hora de estudio. — As children, One hour of study used to be enough.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with bastar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Eso bastará con un poco de agua. — Tomorrow, A little water will be enough.
  2. Eso bastaría con una hora de estudio. — One hour of study would be enough.
  3. Espero que eso baste con tu palabra. — I hope your word is enough.
  4. Eso ha bastado con este dinero. — This money has been enough.

bastar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Basta con un poco de agua? — Is a little water enough? Luis: Sí, basta con un poco de agua. — Yes, a little water is enough. Ana: ¿Y mañana bastará con una hora de estudio? — And tomorrow, will one hour of study be enough? Luis: Sí, bastará con una hora de estudio sin problema. — Yes, one hour of study will be enough, no problem. Ana: Perfecto. Con eso basta con tu palabra. — Perfect. With that, your word is enough. Luis: Entonces no compramos más. ¡Hasta luego! — Then we won't buy more. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué pasó ayer? — What happened yesterday? Luis: Ayer eso bastó con tu palabra. — Yesterday, Your word was enough. Ana: ¿Y antes eso bastaba con este dinero? — And before, did this money use to be enough? Luis: Sí, antes eso bastaba con este dinero todos los días. — Yes, before, this money used to be enough every day. Ana: ¿Y hoy basta con un poco de agua? — And today, is a little water enough? Luis: Sí, hoy basta con un poco de agua. — Yes, today a little water is enough.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo basto con un poco de agua. — Right: Eso basta con un poco de agua. — Bastar is normally used in the third person, because the thing that is enough is the subject. Say eso basta, not yo basto, for enough.
  2. Wrong: Treating bastar and ser suficiente as identical in every context. — Right: Bastar means to be enough, while ser suficiente means to be sufficient. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: bastar fits sentences such as Eso basta con un poco de agua, while ser suficiente belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy bastado con una hora de estudio. — Right: Yo he bastado con una hora de estudio. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he bastado, has bastado, ha bastado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo basté con tu palabra todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo bastaba con tu palabra todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (bastaba), not the preterite. The preterite (basté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on bastar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Eso ___ con este dinero. (present tense) A. basta B. basto C. bastas D. bastamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Eso ___ con un poco de agua. (preterite tense) A. basté B. bastaste C. bastamos D. bastó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Eso ___ con una hora de estudio. (imperfect tense) A. bastábamos B. bastabais C. bastaba D. bastabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Eso ___ con tu palabra. (future tense) A. bastaremos B. bastará C. bastaré D. bastarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Eso ___ con este dinero. (conditional tense) A. bastaría B. bastarías C. bastaríamos D. bastaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Eso ___ con un poco de agua. (present-perfect tense) A. he bastado B. has bastado C. hemos bastado D. ha bastado

  7. What does bastar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to be enough D. to be sufficient

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Eso bastó con tu palabra. B. Yo basto con un poco de agua. C. Eso basta con un poco de agua. D. Eso basta con una hora de estudio.

  9. Which is the gerund of bastar, used with estar for the progressive? A. bastando B. bastado C. basto D. basté

  10. Which is the past participle of bastar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. bastando B. basto C. basté D. bastado

Answer key

  1. basta — The correct form here is basta.
  2. bastó — The correct form here is bastó.
  3. bastaba — The correct form here is bastaba.
  4. bastará — The correct form here is bastará.
  5. bastaría — The correct form here is bastaría.
  6. ha bastado — The correct form here is ha bastado.
  7. to be enough — Bastar means to be enough. Ser suficiente means to be sufficient, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo basto con un poco de agua. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Eso basta con un poco de agua.. Bastar is normally used in the third person, because the thing that is enough is the subject. Say eso basta, not yo basto, for enough.
  9. bastando — The gerund of bastar is bastando: estoy bastando.
  10. bastado — The past participle of bastar is bastado: he bastado, has bastado, ha bastado.

Frequently asked questions

What does bastar mean?

Bastar means to be enough. Bastar means to be enough, and it is used when a quantity, a time or a word is sufficient: a little water is enough, one hour of study is enough, your word is enough. It is usually used in the third person, as in basta con un poco, because the thing that is enough is the subject, not a person.

When do people use bastar most?

People use bastar most in everyday situations such as Eso basta con un poco de agua. and Ayer, Eso bastó con tu palabra.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between bastar and ser suficiente?

Bastar means to be enough, while ser suficiente means to be sufficient. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of bastar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of bastar as your reference, the bastar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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