Inklingo

How to Say "enough!" in Spanish

English → Spanish

basta

/bas-ta//ˈbas.ta/

InterjectionA1Informal
Use 'basta' when you want to tell someone or something to stop immediately, often out of frustration or a desire for cessation.
A large adult hand gently but firmly stopping a small child's hand from adding a final item to an already overflowing jar of cookies.

Examples

¡Basta! No me grites más.

Enough! Don't shout at me anymore.

Mamá, ¿quieres más sopa? —No, gracias, basta.

Mom, do you want more soup? —No, thanks, that's enough.

¡Basta ya de quejas! Vamos a buscar una solución.

Enough with the complaints already! Let's find a solution.

Using it for 'quite' or 'rather'

Mistake:Sometimes learners confuse 'basta' with 'bastante'. You can't say 'La película fue basta buena'.

Correction: Use 'bastante' for 'quite' or 'rather': 'La película fue bastante buena' (The movie was quite good). Use 'basta' to mean 'stop' or 'is enough'.

ya

/yah//'ʝa/

AdverbB1Informal
Use 'ya' in conjunction with 'basta' to add emphasis, meaning 'enough already!' or 'that's enough now!'. It implies a strong sense of finality.
A large, red exclamation mark glowing slightly, representing emphasis or urgency.

Examples

¡Basta ya!

Enough already!

¡Cállate ya!

Be quiet now!

¡Ya, ya, entendí!

Okay, okay, I got it!

Using 'basta' alone vs. 'basta ya'

Learners often confuse 'basta' and 'basta ya'. Remember that 'basta' on its own is a complete command to stop. Adding 'ya' intensifies this, making it more emphatic, like 'enough already!' or 'stop it now!'.

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