volstaat

Volstaat is a Dutch verb meaning to be enough or to suffice. It is used to indicate that a quantity, condition, or piece of information meets the required standard. Common phrases include the impersonal form “het volstaat” (that will suffice) as in “Dat volstaat” and the construction “volstaan met” to indicate compliance with a minimum requirement, as in “We kunnen volstaan met eenvoudige uitleg.”

Conjugation in the present tense (examples for singular and plural subjects): ik volsta, jij volstaat, hij/zij volstaat; wij volstaan, jullie volstaan, zij volstaan. The form volstaat is the standard third-person singular present, while volstaan is used for the first-person plural and other plural subjects. Past tense forms include volstond (singular) and volstonden (plural). The past participle is typically used as volstaan in perfect constructions such as “Dat heeft volstaan.”

Etymology and usage notes: volstaan comes from Middle Dutch volstaan, built from vol (full) and staan (to stand). The sense development reflects the idea that something stands in full measure or suffices to meet a need. In contemporary Dutch, volstaan remains a common, neutral term used in formal writing, legal language, and everyday speech to denote adequacy or sufficiency.

See also: Dutch verbs and irregular conjugation patterns; phrases with volstaan met. The word is not a proper noun and is capitalized only at the beginning of a sentence.