assez bon
The English phrase 'good enough' is expressed in French as assez bon.
assez bon is used to describe something that is satisfactory or acceptable, even if it is not perfect.
Which one should you use?
While assez bon focuses on the quality being 'good enough', the adjective suffisant is often a more natural way to express that something is 'sufficient' or 'adequate' in a functional sense.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must agree in gender with the noun it modifies, so use the feminine form assez bonne for feminine nouns. The phrase must agree in number, so use assez bons for masculine plural nouns. The phrase must agree in number, so use assez bonnes for feminine plural nouns.
Did you know?
- The word assez comes from the Late Latin 'ad satis', which is the origin of the English word 'satisfaction'.
- In French schools, the grade assez bien is a formal academic distinction meaning 'quite good' or 'fairly good'.
- While assez bon describes the quality of a thing, using suffisant to describe a person's work can imply they only did the bare minimum required to pass.
Examples in context
- Est-ce assez bon ?Is that good enough?This sentence is useful for asking if something is assez bon.Tatoeba #6461287 by Aiji, translation #4494911 by CK
- Je n'étais pas assez bon.I wasn't good enough.This sentence is useful for stating that one was not assez bon.Tatoeba #5167575 by sacredceltic, translation #5166562 by CK
- J'espère que c'est assez bon.I hope that's good enough.This sentence is useful for expressing hope that something is assez bon.Tatoeba #5375527 by Aiji, translation #4953368 by CK
- C'est assez bienIt is good enough
- C'était assez bien, merci.It was good enough, thank you.
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel is showing Manon a drawing he made.
- GabrielEst-ce que ce dessin est assez bon ?Is this drawing good enough?
- ManonOui, c'est même très beau, Gabriel.Yes, it is even very beautiful, Gabriel.
- GabrielJe veux juste être sûr que c'est assez bon.I just want to be sure that it's good enough.
- ManonNe t'inquiète pas, c'est parfait.Don't worry, it's perfect.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries assez, bon, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
