Learn Hardcore Italian: Anna è molto sensibile, basta un film triste e piange subito. - Anna is very sensitive; just one sad movie and she cries right away.

basta comes from the verb bastare, meaning “to be enough.” In this impersonal construction, basta un film triste literally means “a sad film is enough”, which we translate as “all it takes is a sad movie.”

Why is there no le before basta? Shouldn't we say le basta un film triste?

You can say le basta un film triste—here le (to her) makes the indirect object explicit. Italian often drops the pronoun in impersonal expressions when the context is clear, so basta un film triste is perfectly natural.

Why is sensibile used, and does it mean the same as English sensible?

sensibile in Italian means “sensitive.” It’s a false friend: English sensible translates as sensato or ragionevole in Italian, not sensibile.

Why are è and piange both in the present tense?

The present tense describes a general characteristic or habitual action. Saying Anna è molto sensibile and piange subito means “Anna is very sensitive” and “whenever there’s a sad movie, she cries right away.”

What is the role of subito in piange subito?

subito is an adverb meaning “immediately” or “right away.” Placed after the verb, it emphasizes how quickly Anna begins to cry once the sad film starts.

Why isn't there a conjunction like che or quando between basta un film triste and piange subito?

Italian allows you to link these ideas with just a comma (and optionally e). The structure is elliptical: “Basta un film triste, (e) piange subito.” Adding che here would be ungrammatical.

How could we rephrase the sentence in a more explicit or formal Italian style?

Here are two alternatives that make the structure clearer:

“Le basta un film triste per piangere subito.”
“Ad Anna basta un film triste per farla piangere immediatamente.”