No dar abasto
Not to provide enough.
not to be able to keep up; **not to be able to keep up**; **to be overwhelmed**; **to be snowed under**; **to have one's hands full**; **not to cope with the workload**
No dar abasto means not to be able to keep up, to be overwhelmed, to be unable to cope, to have more work than one can handle, or to struggle to meet demand.
Con tanto trabajo no doy abasto.
I can't keep up with all this work.
La tienda no da abasto durante las rebajas.
The shop can't cope during the sales.
Estamos recibiendo tantos pedidos que no damos abasto.
We're receiving so many orders that we can't keep up.
No doy abasto entre el trabajo y los niños.
Between work and the children, I have my hands full.
It refers to a situation in which the available time, effort or resources are insufficient.
- work accumulates faster than it can be completed
- a business receives too many customers
- demand exceeds supply
- someone has too many responsibilities
- there is simply not enough time or capacity
The expression comes from the noun abasto, which traditionally referred to the supply of goods, especially food and essential products.
To dar abasto originally meant to provide enough supplies to satisfy demand.
From this literal meaning, the expression naturally evolved into its modern figurative sense of being unable to satisfy any kind of excessive demand or workload.
The expression can refer to both people and organisations.
For example:
- a waiter serving too many tables,
- a hospital during an emergency,
- a factory receiving too many orders,
- or a parent juggling countless responsibilities.
In every case, the underlying idea is the same: demand exceeds capacity.
The positive form dar abasto is also widely used:
- La fábrica da abasto. → The factory can keep up with demand.
- No damos abasto. → We can't keep up.
- Dar abasto a la demanda. → To meet demand.
Although both forms exist, the negative no dar abasto is far more common because people tend to use the expression when describing periods of pressure, heavy workloads or exceptional demand.
Do not translate the expression literally.
English speakers would never say:
I don't give enough supply.
Instead, use expressions such as:
- I can't keep up.
- I'm overwhelmed.
- I have my hands full.
- We're struggling to cope with demand.
Choose the translation according to whether the subject is a person or an organisation.
There are five hundred more.
The complete collection — no ads, on paper or Kindle.
Get the book on Amazon