Expressing excess with "trop"
To say that something is "too [adjective]" to do something, use trop (too) followed by the adjective, and then pour (to/in order to) + an infinitive.
| This academic path is too demanding to succeed without effort. | Cette filière est trop exigeante pour réussir sans effort. |
| Literature is too theoretical to find a position easily. | La littérature est trop théorique pour trouver un poste facilement. |
You can also use this exact same structure with adverbs instead of adjectives.
| It is too late to specialize in mathematics. | Il est trop tard pour se spécialiser en mathématiques. |
Expressing sufficiency with "assez"
To say that someone or something has "enough" of a quality to achieve a result, use assez (enough).
Pay close attention to the word order. Unlike in English where "enough" comes after the adjective (e.g., "smart enough"), in French, assez always comes before the adjective.
| He is smart enough to succeed in the selection in biology. | Il est assez intelligent pour réussir la sélection en biologie. |
| Am I patient enough to specialize in this academic path? | Est-ce que je suis assez patient pour me spécialiser dans cette filière ? |
Putting it all together
When weighing difficult choices—like choosing an academic path—use trop ... pour and assez ... pour to evaluate your options and their consequences. Just remember the formula: degree word + adjective/adverb + pour + infinitive.
| You are not competitive enough to specialize in this field. | Tu n'es pas assez compétitif pour te spécialiser dans ce domaine. |
| Biology is too interesting to stop studying it. | La biologie est trop intéressante pour arrêter de l'étudier. |
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