When to use "basta" and "bastanza"?
Ciao,

I learned that "bastanza" means enough from my Italian lesson. But I hear often that people just say "basta" to mean the same. Is "basta" just an informal and quick way of saying "bastanza"?

Grazie!

- Yan

Question

When to use "basta" and "bastanza"?
Ciao,

I learned that "bastanza" means enough from my Italian lesson. But I hear often that people just say "basta" to mean the same. Is "basta" just an informal and quick way of saying "bastanza"?

Grazie!

- Yan

Answer

just a few examples:
Basta!  Stop it!
Basta perdere tempo!. Stop wasting time

Basta chiedere per avere  Let’s ask, to receive

Ne vuoi ancora? 
No grazie ne ho abbastanza
Do u want more? 
No thanks, its’ enough

Ci vuole pazienza per imparare l’italiano? 
Do we need to be patient to learn italian?

Si, abbastanza
Yes, enough

Answer

The word "bastanza" is used in venetian dialect and means "abbastanza" or better "enough",
example: Venetian -  "Come steto?" "Bastanza ben!"
             Italian     -  "Come stai?" "Abbastanza bene!"
             English    -  "How are you?" "Well enough!"
...
Basta = It suffice

Answer

The word "bastanza" was used in Italian language, but now it is a dated word replaced by "abbastanza"

Answer

"bastanza" is not an italian word. You'd correctly use "ABBASTANZA" meaning 
1) enough f.e. Non abbiamo abbastanza tempo, we haven't enough time; averne abbastanza di, to have had enough of;
2) (alquanto) rather; quite (GB); (discretamente) fairly, pretty (fam.): Lo conosco abbastanza bene, I know him rather well; abbastanza vicino, fairly (o quite) close; Sto abbastanza bene, grazie, I'm fairly well, thank you.

ABBASTANZA It's not a synonymous for Basta! even if in english they could mean enough: examples
BASTA, ne ho avuto abbastanza di te! STOP I've had enough of you!  
Adesso basta!, that's enough!

Answer

not bastanza but abbastanza