bastar Present Conjugation
bastar — to be enough
Bastar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense: basto, bastas, basta, bastamos, bastáis, bastan.
bastar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to express that something is currently sufficient or to set limits. It is most commonly used in the third person (basta/bastan) to say 'it is enough' or 'they are enough'.
Notes on bastar in the Present
Bastar is completely regular in the present indicative; it follows the standard pattern for all -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Con dos trozos de tarta me basta.
Two pieces of cake are enough for me.
él/ella/usted
Esas explicaciones no bastan para ganar el caso.
Those explanations are not enough to win the case.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Yo basto para hacer este trabajo solo.
I am enough to do this job alone.
yo
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'es basta' for 'it is enough'.
Correct: Basta
Why: Bastar is a verb itself, so you don't need the verb 'ser' (to be) before it.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: basté
The preterite of bastar is regular: basté, bastaste, bastó, bastamos, bastasteis, bastaron.
Imperfect
yo: bastaba
The imperfect of bastar follows the regular -aba pattern: bastaba, bastabas, bastaba, bastábamos, bastabais, bastaban.
Future
yo: bastaré
The future of bastar is formed by adding endings to the infinitive: bastaré, bastarás, bastará, bastaremos, bastaréis, bastarán.
Conditional
yo: bastaría
The conditional of bastar is regular: bastaría, bastarías, bastaría, bastaríamos, bastaríais, bastarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: baste
The present subjunctive of bastar changes the 'a' to 'e': baste, bastes, baste, bastemos, bastéis, basten.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: bastara
The imperfect subjunctive of bastar is regular: bastara, bastaras, bastara, bastáramos, bastarais, bastaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: basta
The imperative of bastar is used to command sufficiency: basta, baste, bastemos, bastad, basten.
Negative Imperative
yo: no bastes
The negative imperative of bastar uses present subjunctive forms: no bastes, no baste, no bastemos, no bastéis, no basten.