nóg / nógu

Enough (Nóg, Nógu)

Level 3

Er þetta nógu gott? (Is this good enough?) Ég á nóg af peningum (I have enough money).

How It Works

nógu + adjective or adverb. English puts enough after the adjective, but Icelandic puts nógu first, like mjög and of:

  • nógu stór (big enough), nógu gott (good enough)
  • nógu hratt (fast enough), nógu vel (well enough)

nógu itself never changes, and the adjective after it agrees as usual: Er íbúðin nógu stór? For enough to do something, add til að: Ertu nógu gamall til að keyra? (Are you old enough to drive?)

nóg = enough of something. nóg is about an amount:

  • on its own: Takk, þetta er nóg. (Thanks, that’s enough.)
  • with af + dative: Ég á nóg af peningum. Við höfum nóg af tíma.
  • in fixed phrases: Það er nóg að gera (There is plenty to do). Ég er búin að fá nóg! (I’ve had enough! I’m fed up!)

The adjective nógur. nóg and nógu come from the adjective nógur, which can also stand right before a noun and agree with it: Við höfum nógan tíma (We have enough time), nóg pláss (enough room). In everyday speech, nóg af + dative is the most common choice.

Not enough. Add ekki as usual: Þetta er ekki nógu gott (This isn’t good enough). Það er ekki nóg að tala, þú verður að gera eitthvað (It’s not enough to talk, you have to do something).

Examples (6)

  1. Er þetta nógu gott?

    Is this good enough?

    Word by Word: Is this enough good?

  2. Er hún nógu gömul til að fara ein?

    Is she old enough to go alone?

    gömul agrees with hún; nógu stays the same.

  3. Ég á nóg af peningum.

    I have enough money.

    Word by Word: I own enough of money.

    nóg af takes the dative: peningum.

  4. Takk, þetta er nóg.

    Thanks, that’s enough.

  5. Hann hleypur ekki nógu hratt.

    He doesn’t run fast enough.

    Word by Word: He runs not enough fast.

  6. Það er alltaf nóg að gera í vinnunni.

    There is always plenty to do at work.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting nógu after the adjective, as in English.

    Er þetta gott nógu?
    Er þetta nógu gott?

    nógu goes in front of the adjective or adverb, like mjög and of.

  • Using nóg instead of nógu before an adjective.

    Ertu nóg gamall til að keyra?
    Ertu nógu gamall til að keyra?

    nóg is for amounts, as in nóg af tíma. Before an adjective or adverb, use nógu.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

nóg / nóguLevel 3Enough (Nóg, Nógu)

Learn This First

nóg builds on of.

Words in This Pattern

nógnógnógu