Explanation
Use "too" when something is more than you want or need. Use "enough" when something is sufficient or has the right amount.
In "This box is too heavy to carry," "too" comes before the adjective "heavy," and "to carry" shows the result. In "She is old enough to vote," "enough" comes after the adjective "old," and the sentence means her age is sufficient. You can also use "too" with an adverb, as in "He speaks too fast for me to understand." Japanese often uses "〜すぎる" and "十分" in one idea, but English keeps the word order strict.
「too」は、多すぎる、強すぎる、足りないほどだ、という意味です。「enough」は、十分だ、必要な量がある、という意味です。
たとえば "This box is too heavy to carry." では、"too" が形容詞 "heavy" の前に置かれ、"to carry" が「運べない」という結果を表します。"She is old enough to vote." では、"enough" が形容詞 "old" の後ろに来て、「投票できる年齢に達している」という意味になります。"He speaks too fast for me to understand." のように、副詞にも "too" を使えます。日本語では「〜すぎる」「十分」を一つの表現で言えますが、英語は語順が決まっています。
Examples
- This box is too heavy to carry. この箱は重すぎて運べません。
- She is old enough to vote. 彼女は投票できる年齢です。
- He speaks too fast for me to understand. 彼は速く話しすぎて、私には理解できません。
- We have enough time to eat lunch. 昼ごはんを食べる時間は十分あります。
- Is it too late to call him? 彼に電話するには遅すぎますか。
- The room isn't big enough for all of us. その部屋は私たち全員には十分広くありません。
Common Mistakes
Japanese learners often write "He is too tired go home" or "The room is enough big." The correct forms are "He is too tired to go home" and "The room is big enough." Remember: "too" usually needs "to" before the verb, and "enough" comes after the adjective.
日本人学習者は「He is too tired go home」や「The room is enough big」と書きがちです。正しくは「He is too tired to go home」「The room is big enough」です。ポイントは、「too」の後ろで動詞を続けるときは「to」が必要で、「enough」は形容詞の後ろに置くことです。