Which one should you use?
While کافی is the standard adjective for 'sufficient', the phrase بسه! is a common colloquial way to say 'That's enough!' when someone wants an action to stop immediately. Other related forms include the interjection بس است! or بسه! to mean 'Stop!'
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal or literary contexts, you can use بس است to mean 'It is enough' or 'It is sufficient'. In everyday spoken Persian, you might use the informal بسه or the informal کافیه to express 'enough'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To use 'enough' as an adverb (for example, to say 'sufficiently strong'), Persian speakers often use the phrase به اندازهٔ کافی instead of just the adjective کافی.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /kaː.ˈfiː/ (kâfi). It has two syllables, with the stress on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The word کافی is actually a loanword from Arabic, where it functions as an active participle.
- While بسه means 'enough', saying it with a sharp falling intonation can function as a command for someone to stop talking or behaving badly, similar to saying 'cut it out' in English.
- The formal term بس است can sound quite poetic or even biblical, making it feel more like something from a classical poem than a modern conversation.
Examples in context
- ما وقت کافی نداریم.We don't have enough time.This is useful for expressing a lack of sufficient time with کافی.Tatoeba #888591 by mahdiye, translation #426269 by CM
- عاقل را اشاره کافیست.A word is enough to a wise man.This shows how a single word or sign can be sufficient with کافی.Tatoeba #6831655 by cojiluc, translation #27847 by Miktsoanit
- این طناب به اندازهٔ کافی قوی نیست.This rope isn't strong enough.This demonstrates how to say something is not strong enough using کافی.Tatoeba #7584631 by cojiluc, translation #6842947 by CK
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sara and Amir are discussing a dinner party invitation.
- سارا Saraآیا ده نفر برای مهمانی کافی است؟aya dah nafar baraye mehmany kafi ast?Is ten people enough for the party?
- امیر Amirبله، ده نفر کافی است.bale, dah nafar kafi ast.Yes, ten people is enough.
- سارا Saraپس من غذا کافی درست می‌کنم.pas man ghaza kafi dorost mikonam.Then I will make enough food.
- امیر Amirخیلی ممنون، سارا.kheyli mamnun, Sara.Thank you very much, Sara.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “enough” translations and entries کافی, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries کافی, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
