Bastar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of bastar — “to be enough” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for bastar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. Bastar is a regular -ar verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Eso basta con un poco de agua.
Present tense conjugation table: bastar
Every person of bastar in the present tense. Bastar is normally used in the third person, because the thing that is enough is the subject, as in eso basta con un poco de agua. The gerund is bastando and the past participle is bastado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | basto |
| tú | bastas |
| él/ella/Ud. | basta |
| nosotros/as | bastamos |
| vosotros/as | bastáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | bastan |
How the present of bastar is formed
The present of bastar is built from the stem bast- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | basto |
| tú | -as | bastas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | basta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | bastamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | bastáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | bastan |
For bastar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem bast- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
Because bastar is normally used in the third person, the forms you will actually say are eso basta con un poco de agua and, for completed moments, eso bastó con una hora de estudio. Learn the third-person forms first and treat the others as reference.
When to use the present tense with bastar
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Eso basta con un poco de agua. — A little water is enough.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Eso basta con una hora de estudio. — One hour of study is enough.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Eso basta con tu palabra. — Right now, Your word is enough.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Eso basta con este dinero. — Tomorrow, This money is enough.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Eso basta con un poco de agua. — A little water is enough.
The present vs the preterite
The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with bastar.
- Eso basta con un poco de agua. — A little water is enough. / Ayer, Eso bastó con un poco de agua. — Yesterday, A little water was enough.
- Eso basta con una hora de estudio. — One hour of study is enough. / Ayer, Eso bastó con una hora de estudio. — Yesterday, One hour of study was enough.
- Eso basta con tu palabra. — Your word is enough. / Ayer, Eso bastó con tu palabra. — Yesterday, Your word was enough.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with bastar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Eso basta con un poco de agua. — A little water is enough.
- Eso basta con una hora de estudio. — One hour of study is enough.
- Eso basta con tu palabra. — Your word is enough.
- Eso basta con este dinero. — This money is enough.
- Eso basta con un poco de agua. — A little water is enough.
- Eso basta con una hora de estudio. — One hour of study is enough.
- Eso basta con tu palabra. — Your word is enough.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo basta con un poco de agua. — Right: Yo basto con un poco de agua. — Remember that bastar is used in the third person: eso basta con un poco de agua.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo basto con una hora de estudio. — Right: Ayer, yo basté con una hora de estudio. — With ayer, use the preterite (basté), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Using bastar where ser suficiente belongs. — Right: Bastar means to be enough, while ser suficiente means to be sufficient. — Check the meaning before you choose: bastar fits Eso basta con un poco de agua.
- Wrong: Espero que él basta con una hora de estudio. — Right: Espero que él baste con una hora de estudio. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: baste, not the present indicative basta.
Quiz: the present tense of bastar
Eight questions on the present tense of bastar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Eso ___ con un poco de agua. (present tense, yo) A. basta B. basto C. bastas D. bastamos
Complete the sentence: Eso ___ con una hora de estudio. (present tense, tú) A. basto B. bastas C. bastamos D. basta
Complete the sentence: Eso ___ con tu palabra. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. bastas B. bastamos C. basta D. basto
Complete the sentence: Eso ___ con este dinero. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. bastamos B. basta C. basto D. bastas
Complete the sentence: Eso ___ con un poco de agua. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. basta B. basto C. bastas D. bastamos
Complete the sentence: Eso ___ con una hora de estudio. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. basto B. bastas C. bastamos D. basta
Which is the gerund of bastar? A. basto B. basté C. bastando D. bastado
Which is the past participle of bastar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. basté B. bastado C. bastando D. basto
Answer key
- basta — The form that fits here is basta: bastar is used in the third person, because the thing that is enough is the subject.
- basta — The form that fits here is basta: bastar is used in the third person, because the thing that is enough is the subject.
- basta — The form that fits here is basta: bastar is used in the third person, because the thing that is enough is the subject.
- basta — The form that fits here is basta: bastar is used in the third person, because the thing that is enough is the subject.
- basta — The form that fits here is basta: bastar is used in the third person, because the thing that is enough is the subject.
- basta — The form that fits here is basta: bastar is used in the third person, because the thing that is enough is the subject.
- bastando — The gerund of bastar is bastando: estoy bastando.
- bastado — The past participle of bastar is bastado: he bastado, has bastado, ha bastado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of bastar formed?
Take the infinitive bastar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem bast-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of bastar is fully regular: the stem bast- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of bastar?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Eso basta con un poco de agua.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of bastar?
The present (basto) and the preterite (basté) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.
How do I practise the present of bastar?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of bastar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the bastar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Bastar conjugation — the full conjugation tables for bastar.
- Bastar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for bastar.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.