riittävät
Wordform Details
Translation: to be enoughto sufficeto be sufficient
Part of Speech: verb
Inflection Type:
third-personpluralpresentindicativeIs Dictionary Form: No
Dictionary Form Details
Lemma: riittää
Translation: to be enough; to suffice; to be sufficient; to last; to be adequate (verb)
Etymology: Derived from Proto-Finnic *rīttädäk, which is likely a Germanic loanword, possibly from Proto-Germanic *wrītaną (to write, carve). The semantic shift from 'writing/carving' to 'being sufficient' may relate to the idea of 'marking off' or 'fulfilling' a requirement. The Finnish word has evolved to focus on the concept of adequacy or sufficiency rather than the physical act of writing.
Example Usage
Aika ei riittänyt tehtävän loppuun saattamiseen.
There wasn't enough time to complete the task.
Yksi kerta riittää.
One time is enough.
Ruoka riittää kaikille.
There's enough food for everyone.
Rahat eivät riitä uuteen autoon.
The money is not enough for a new car.
Riittääkö tämä sinulle?
Is this enough for you?
Mnemonics
- Think of 'reach' in English - when something 'reaches' a certain level, it's sufficient.
- The double 't' in 'riittää' can remind you that you have 'two' of something, which is often enough.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Synonyms
Antonyms
Example Wordforms
Cultural Context
A very common verb in everyday Finnish. The concept of 'riittää' is important in Finnish culture, which often values moderation and the idea that 'enough is enough' (kohtuus kaikessa - moderation in everything).
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'riittää' means 'to be enough', 'riidellä' means 'to argue' or 'to quarrel'. They look similar but have completely different meanings.
Notes: The words share some similar forms in conjugation which can add to confusion.
Mnemonic: Think: 'riittää' has double 't' (tt) for 'totally enough', while 'riidellä' has 'd' for 'disagreement'.
Explanation: A modern loanword meaning 'to read' (data, files) in computing contexts, while 'riittää' means 'to be enough'.
Notes: The computing term 'riidata' is much less common in everyday speech than 'riittää'.
Mnemonic: Connect 'riidata' with English 'read' (data), while 'riittää' relates to sufficiency.