pan ya kudamono o hanbun dake tsumetara, kaban ni zenbu haitta.

When I packed only half of the bread and fruit, everything fit in my bag.

Breakdown of pan ya kudamono o hanbun dake tsumetara, kaban ni zenbu haitta.

• に: destination particle
• を: direct object particle
• パン: bread
• 果くだ物もの: fruit

Questions & Answers about pan ya kudamono o hanbun dake tsumetara, kaban ni zenbu haitta.

What does や mean in パンや果物? Is it the same as と?

Not exactly.

• や means something like ...and..., among other things or ...such as...
• と gives a more complete, closed list: A and B
• や gives a looser, more representative list: A, B, and the like

So パンや果物 suggests bread, fruit, and possibly other similar things. It does not sound as exact as パンと果物.

Why is there を after パンや果物?

Because パンや果物 is the direct object of 詰めた.

• 詰める is a transitive verb here: you pack something
• The thing being packed takes を

So:

• パンや果物を詰める = to pack bread, fruit, etc.

What exactly does 半分だけ mean here?

半分 means half, and だけ means only.

Together, 半分だけ means only half.

In this sentence, it means that only half of the amount under discussion was packed. In natural English, this is often understood as:

• only half of the bread and fruit
• or only half as much of those things

It does not usually mean I packed them halfway. It means the amount packed was half.