About us
Our goal is not to overload students with heavy grammar, turning them into philologists, but to teach a real, living language. The one you hear in a store, the one that allows you to communicate, meet people and clearly articulate your thoughts in a foreign language.
sales team
Too and enough in English
25.01.2025
4 minutes to read
Too and enough are words that help you talk about quantity or quality. Too is used when something is too much or not good enough, and enough is used when something is enough. For example, “too cold” and “warm enough”. These words are common in English, and figuring them out is not as hard as it seems.
Table of contents
Too
The word too in English is used when you want to say “too”, “also” or “too much”. It can be used in different places in a sentence, depending on what you want to emphasize.
If you want to say that the same thing is happening to you that is happening to the other person, use too at the end of the sentence. For example, if a friend says: I love watching movies, you could say: I love watching movies too. It's a convenient way to show that you have something in common. Sometimes people shorten it and just say Me too.
But too has another meaning - “too much”. When something is too much or more than you need, it's just right. For example, if it's very hot outside, you might say: It's too hot. Or if lessons are taking up a lot of time, you could describe it as too much homework.
It is important not to confuse too with to. They sound the same but mean different things. To is more often used to show direction, for example: I'm going to school. And too is either “too” or “too much”, and this difference sometimes makes for some funny mistakes.
If you want to keep it simple: when you're talking about something general or over-the-top, go for too.
If you want to say that the same thing is happening to you that is happening to the other person, use too at the end of the sentence. For example, if a friend says: I love watching movies, you could say: I love watching movies too. It's a convenient way to show that you have something in common. Sometimes people shorten it and just say Me too.
But too has another meaning - “too much”. When something is too much or more than you need, it's just right. For example, if it's very hot outside, you might say: It's too hot. Or if lessons are taking up a lot of time, you could describe it as too much homework.
It is important not to confuse too with to. They sound the same but mean different things. To is more often used to show direction, for example: I'm going to school. And too is either “too” or “too much”, and this difference sometimes makes for some funny mistakes.
If you want to keep it simple: when you're talking about something general or over-the-top, go for too.
What it means
Rules of usage
The rules for using the word too are actually pretty straightforward if you break things down.
First, too is used to say “too.” This rule works when you want to express that you agree with someone or want to say that you have the same situation. For example, if someone says: I have a cat, you can say: I have a cat too. You should put too at the end of a sentence, after you have said what you were talking about.
Secondly, too is used to say “too much”. For example, too hot is when something is much hotter than you'd like it to be. Or too expensive is when something costs a lot more than you are willing to pay. In this case, too is usually put in front of an adjective or adverb. For example: It's too difficult. And here too suggests that something is really too much.
Also, if you want to say “too much”, you also use too. For example: There's too much noise, too many people. Here too will always come before a plural noun, and when talking about the amount of something, it will just mean too much.
On a slightly different note: too doesn't always express negativity, as it may seem. It simply indicates that there is more of something than is needed. So it won't always be something bad, for example: I have too many friends - it might even be cool.
It's easy to remember: if you need to say “too” or “too much”, you'll probably use too. The key is to remember where to put it: at the end of the sentence if you're saying “too”, and before an adjective or noun if you're saying “too”.
First, too is used to say “too.” This rule works when you want to express that you agree with someone or want to say that you have the same situation. For example, if someone says: I have a cat, you can say: I have a cat too. You should put too at the end of a sentence, after you have said what you were talking about.
Secondly, too is used to say “too much”. For example, too hot is when something is much hotter than you'd like it to be. Or too expensive is when something costs a lot more than you are willing to pay. In this case, too is usually put in front of an adjective or adverb. For example: It's too difficult. And here too suggests that something is really too much.
Also, if you want to say “too much”, you also use too. For example: There's too much noise, too many people. Here too will always come before a plural noun, and when talking about the amount of something, it will just mean too much.
On a slightly different note: too doesn't always express negativity, as it may seem. It simply indicates that there is more of something than is needed. So it won't always be something bad, for example: I have too many friends - it might even be cool.
It's easy to remember: if you need to say “too” or “too much”, you'll probably use too. The key is to remember where to put it: at the end of the sentence if you're saying “too”, and before an adjective or noun if you're saying “too”.
Enough
What it means
Enough in English translates to “enough.” This word is used when there is enough of something - not too little or too much, exactly as much as you need. It shows that the quantity or quality of something is sufficient for a certain purpose.
For example, if you say, “I have enough money,” it means that I have enough money and enough to buy. And the phrase “Is it warm enough?” - asks if it's too cold and if it's comfortable at this temperature.
Enough helps to express that there is enough of something, and it is enough to do some action or be satisfied.
For example, if you say, “I have enough money,” it means that I have enough money and enough to buy. And the phrase “Is it warm enough?” - asks if it's too cold and if it's comfortable at this temperature.
Enough helps to express that there is enough of something, and it is enough to do some action or be satisfied.
The rules for using the word enough are pretty straightforward, too, as long as you remember a couple of important points.
First, enough is often used to say that something is enough or sufficient for something. When you're talking about an adjective or adverb, enough is put after it. For example: She is tall enough to reach the shelf. Here you are showing that her height is adequate for the task. Or: He plays well enough to win. That is, the quality or skill is suitable.
When talking about the quantity of something, enough is put before the noun. For example: I have enough time. Or There are enough cookies for everyone. Here enough helps to show that there is enough to do something.
In the case of a negation, enough will come after “not”. For example: I don't have enough money. Or She isn't old enough. This is where you are kind of saying that something is not enough for something.
Sometimes, if you use enough with verbs, the phrase will mean that you did something well enough or did something to the right extent. For example, I worked hard enough to finish the project.
To remember: enough means “enough” and, depending on what you use it with, it can come before a noun or after an adjective/adverb. It's important to remember that if you're talking about not having enough of something, then enough will be after “not”.
First, enough is often used to say that something is enough or sufficient for something. When you're talking about an adjective or adverb, enough is put after it. For example: She is tall enough to reach the shelf. Here you are showing that her height is adequate for the task. Or: He plays well enough to win. That is, the quality or skill is suitable.
When talking about the quantity of something, enough is put before the noun. For example: I have enough time. Or There are enough cookies for everyone. Here enough helps to show that there is enough to do something.
In the case of a negation, enough will come after “not”. For example: I don't have enough money. Or She isn't old enough. This is where you are kind of saying that something is not enough for something.
Sometimes, if you use enough with verbs, the phrase will mean that you did something well enough or did something to the right extent. For example, I worked hard enough to finish the project.
To remember: enough means “enough” and, depending on what you use it with, it can come before a noun or after an adjective/adverb. It's important to remember that if you're talking about not having enough of something, then enough will be after “not”.
Rules of usage
What are the differences between the words too and enough
When too is used and when enough is used
Too and enough both mean “enough” but are used in different situations and with different shades of meaning. To avoid confusion, here's how you can tell them apart.
Too is used when there is too much of something. It means that something exceeds the right amount, and it can be either something bad or just too much. For example: It's too hot today. Here you are saying that the heat is unbearable, more than you would like. Or: This coffee is too strong. You're emphasizing that the coffee is overdone, and it's too strong. So if you want to say that something is overdone, use too.
Enough, on the other hand, means that something is enough. When you say that something is enough for something, you use enough. For example: This bag is big enough to carry all my books. Here you are saying that the bag is big enough for the task at hand. Or: I've studied enough for the test. This means you spent the right amount of time studying.
To remember: too is when there is too much of something, and enough is when there is enough of something. Too will always mean too much, and enough will always mean the norm or the right amount.
Too is used when there is too much of something. It means that something exceeds the right amount, and it can be either something bad or just too much. For example: It's too hot today. Here you are saying that the heat is unbearable, more than you would like. Or: This coffee is too strong. You're emphasizing that the coffee is overdone, and it's too strong. So if you want to say that something is overdone, use too.
Enough, on the other hand, means that something is enough. When you say that something is enough for something, you use enough. For example: This bag is big enough to carry all my books. Here you are saying that the bag is big enough for the task at hand. Or: I've studied enough for the test. This means you spent the right amount of time studying.
To remember: too is when there is too much of something, and enough is when there is enough of something. Too will always mean too much, and enough will always mean the norm or the right amount.
Examples
To understand the difference between too and enough, let's look at some examples to illustrate how they are used in different situations.
Example with too:
It's too cold outside. This is where you are saying that the cold is too much. It's not just cold, but so cold that it makes you uncomfortable or unpleasant.
She talks too loudly. This means that her loudness is over the top. She talks so loudly that she disturbs others.
The movie was too long. Here you are emphasizing that the movie was so long that it wasn't enjoyable, it got boring.
Example with enough:
It's warm enough to go outside. Here you're saying that the temperature is just right for a walk and it's warm enough to feel comfortable.
I don't have enough time. It means that there is not enough time and you can't do what you want to do.
The soup isn't salty enough. This is where you say that the salt in the soup isn't enough for the right flavor.
Now, when we look at these examples, we can see that too always indicates overdoing, when there is too much of something, and enough is when there is enough or not enough for something. The difference is that too is more likely to carry a negative meaning, while enough is neutral, simply showing normality or scarcity.
Example with too:
It's too cold outside. This is where you are saying that the cold is too much. It's not just cold, but so cold that it makes you uncomfortable or unpleasant.
She talks too loudly. This means that her loudness is over the top. She talks so loudly that she disturbs others.
The movie was too long. Here you are emphasizing that the movie was so long that it wasn't enjoyable, it got boring.
Example with enough:
It's warm enough to go outside. Here you're saying that the temperature is just right for a walk and it's warm enough to feel comfortable.
I don't have enough time. It means that there is not enough time and you can't do what you want to do.
The soup isn't salty enough. This is where you say that the salt in the soup isn't enough for the right flavor.
Now, when we look at these examples, we can see that too always indicates overdoing, when there is too much of something, and enough is when there is enough or not enough for something. The difference is that too is more likely to carry a negative meaning, while enough is neutral, simply showing normality or scarcity.
This website uses cookies to give you the best possible experience.
OK
