A volte basta un messaggio per chiarire un piccolo malinteso.

Sometimes one message is enough to clear up a small misunderstanding.

Breakdown of A volte basta un messaggio per chiarire un piccolo malinteso.

• a volte: sometimes
• piccolo: small
• per: to
• il messaggio: the message

Questions & Answers about A volte basta un messaggio per chiarire un piccolo malinteso.

What does a volte mean, and is it the same as sometimes?

Yes. A volte means sometimes or at times.

It is a fixed expression:

• a = at/to
• volte = times

So literally it is something like at times.

Examples:

• A volte sono stanco. = Sometimes I’m tired.
• A volte basta aspettare. = Sometimes it’s enough to wait.

You may also hear alle volte, which can mean the same thing in many contexts, but a volte is very common and neutral.

Why is it basta and not bastano?

Because the thing that is enough here is singular: un messaggio.

In Italian, bastare agrees with what is enough:

• Basta un messaggio. = One message is enough.
• Bastano due messaggi. = Two messages are enough.

Even though un messaggio comes after the verb, it is still the grammatical subject of basta.

How should I understand basta in this sentence?