te/genoeg
Too and Enough: Te and Genoeg
Te comes before the adjective: te warm (too hot). Genoeg comes after it: groot genoeg (big enough).
How It Works
1. Te: too. Te goes before an adjective or adverb:
- Die koffie is te warm. (The coffee is too hot.)
- Jy ry te vinnig. (You are driving too fast.)
For amounts, say te veel (too much, too many) and te min (too little, too few).
2. Genoeg: enough. Genoeg goes after an adjective or adverb: Is die kamer groot genoeg? (Is the room big enough?) Before a noun, genoeg usually comes first: Ons het nie genoeg tyd nie. (We don't have enough time.)
3. Much too. Say veels te or veel te: Dit is veels te duur. (It is much too expensive.) In casual speech you will also hear baie te duur, but veels te is the standard written choice.
4. Too and also. English uses too for two ideas. Te only means too much. For also, Afrikaans uses ook: Ek kom ook. (I'm coming too.)
Tip: To say too ... to do something or ... enough to do something, add om te: Hy is oud genoeg om te bestuur. See too ... to and enough to. The te in om te is a different word.
Examples (6)
- Die koffie is te warm.
The coffee is too hot.
Word by Word: The coffee is too warm.
- Is die kamer groot genoeg?
Is the room big enough?
Word by Word: Is the room big enough?
Genoeg comes after the adjective.
- Jy ry te vinnig.
You are driving too fast.
Word by Word: You drive too fast.
- Ons het nie genoeg tyd nie.
We don't have enough time.
Word by Word: We have not enough time not.
Before a noun, genoeg comes first.
- Dit is veels te duur.
It is much too expensive.
Word by Word: It is much too expensive.
- Ek het te veel geëet.
I ate too much.
Word by Word: I have too much eaten.
Common Mistakes
Putting genoeg before an adjective.
Die kamer is genoeg groot.Die kamer is groot genoeg.With an adjective, genoeg comes after it.
Using te for also.
Ek kom te.Ek kom ook.Te only means too much. For also, use ook.
Adding veel between te and an adjective.
Die koffie is te veel warm.Die koffie is te warm.Te veel means too much and goes with amounts. Before an adjective, te on its own means too.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Te and genoeg describe too much and enough, next to baie.
Related Patterns
- te + Adjective + om teToo ... to and Enough to
Adds what something is too much or enough for.
Level 4 - Adjectives Used as Adverbs
Te and genoeg also go with adverbs: te vinnig.
Level 1 - so ... datSo ... That
Another way to show a result: so warm dat ...
Level 4 - so ... soosAs ... as: So ... Soos
Compares two things as equal instead of too much.
Level 2 - om ... te + InfinitiveIn Order to: Om ... Te
The te in om te is a different word from te meaning too.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice te/genoeg in Bubblegum
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