Deutsch — zu and genug (too / enough)
German marks 'too much' and 'enough' in fixed positions: zu comes before the adjective (zu teuer = too expensive), while genug follows an adjective (groß genug = big enough) but precedes a noun (genug Zeit = enough time). Combine them with um … zu to say what the (in)sufficiency leads to.
How it works
Put zu before the word it intensifies: zu teuer (too expensive), zu spät (too late). Put genug after an adjective or adverb: groß genug (big enough), schnell genug (fast enough). But with a noun, genug goes in front: genug Zeit (enough time), genug Geld (enough money). To add a purpose, use um … zu with the infinitive at the end: Er ist alt genug, um allein zu reisen (He is old enough to travel alone).
Examples
| German | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Der Kaffee ist zu heiß. | The coffee is too hot. (zu + adjective) |
| Wir kommen zu spät. | We are arriving too late. (zu + adverb) |
| Die Wohnung ist groß genug. | The flat is big enough. (adjective + genug) |
| Bist du schnell genug? | Are you fast enough? (adverb + genug) |
| Ich habe genug Zeit. | I have enough time. (genug + noun) |
| Wir haben nicht genug Geld. | We don't have enough money. (genug + noun) |
| Es ist warm genug, um zu schwimmen. | It is warm enough to swim. (genug … um … zu) |
| Er ist zu müde, um zu arbeiten. | He is too tired to work. (zu … um … zu) |
Good to know
Don't confuse the intensifier zu with the infinitive marker zu. In zu teuer it means 'too'; in um zu schwimmen or Es ist Zeit zu gehen it just introduces the infinitive. Also keep genug fixed: it never inflects (groß genug, not *genuge groß), and it changes place depending on the word class — after adjectives/adverbs, before nouns.