A médica olhou meu nariz e perguntou se eu estava melhor.

A médica means the doctor. In Portuguese, it is very common to use the definite article with professions or nouns when you are talking about a specific person already identified in the situation.

So:

• A médica = the doctor
• Uma médica = a doctor

In this sentence, it sounds like we already know which doctor is being talked about, so a médica is the natural choice.

Because the doctor is female.

In Portuguese, many profession words change form depending on gender:

• o médico = the male doctor
• a médica = the female doctor

The article changes too:

• o for masculine singular
• a for feminine singular

So A médica clearly tells you the doctor is a woman.

Olhou is the preterite form of olhar, which means to look at.

• olhar = to look
• olhou = looked

So A médica olhou meu nariz means The doctor looked at my nose.

The preterite is used here because it describes a completed action in the past: she looked, and then she asked.

In English, we usually say look at something. In Portuguese, olhar can be used directly with the object, especially in everyday Brazilian Portuguese.

So:

• olhou meu nariz = literally looked my nose
• natural English translation: looked at my nose

You may also see olhar para in other contexts:

• Ela olhou para mim = She looked at me

But with direct objects like this, olhou meu nariz is completely normal.

Meu nariz means my nose.

Portuguese often uses possessives like meu, minha, seu, etc., and here it makes it very clear whose nose is being examined.

• meu nariz = my nose

With body parts, Portuguese sometimes uses the definite article instead of a possessive in certain structures, especially when the owner is already obvious:

• Machuquei o braço = I hurt my arm

But in this sentence, meu nariz sounds natural and direct.

Perguntou se means asked if or asked whether.

Here:

• perguntou = asked
• se = if / whether

So:

• perguntou se eu estava melhor = asked if I was better

This se is used to introduce an indirect yes/no question.

Compare:

• Ela perguntou: Você está melhor? = She asked: Are you better?
• Ela perguntou se eu estava melhor. = She asked if I was better.

Yes, se has several uses in Portuguese, so it can be confusing.

In this sentence, se means if / whether and introduces an indirect question:

• perguntou se eu estava melhor = asked if I was better

This is different from reflexive se, like:

• Ele se levantou = He got himself up / He stood up

So here, se is not reflexive. It simply means if/whether.

Portuguese often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is. But sometimes the pronoun is included for clarity.

Here, eu helps make it clear that the doctor asked whether I was better:

• perguntou se eu estava melhor

Without eu, the sentence could feel less clear, because the verb form estava could refer to eu, ele, ela, or você depending on context.

So including eu is very natural here.

Estava is the imperfect form of estar.

• estou = I am
• estive = I was / I have been, in a completed past sense
• estava = I was, in an ongoing/background sense

Here, the whole sentence is in the past:

• the doctor looked
• the doctor asked

So the reported question also shifts into the past:

• Você está melhor? = Are you better?
• Ela perguntou se eu estava melhor. = She asked if I was better.

The imperfect estava fits well because it describes the state I was in at that time.

Because melhor is the irregular comparative form of bom.

• bom = good
• melhor = better

Just like in English:

• good → better
• not more good

So:

• eu estava melhor = I was better

Yes. In this sentence, melhor refers to feeling better physically or generally improving.

Because the doctor looked at the speaker’s nose, the context strongly suggests health or recovery:

• estava melhor = was feeling better / had improved

Portuguese uses melhor in many situations:

• Estou melhor. = I’m better.
• Ela canta melhor. = She sings better.

So the exact meaning depends on context.

Because Portuguese often leaves out the subject when it is understood from context.

The sentence says:

• A médica olhou meu nariz e perguntou...

After A médica, it is clear that the same person is doing both actions:

1. she looked at my nose
2. she asked if I was better

Portuguese does this very often. Repeating the subject would usually be unnecessary:

• A médica olhou meu nariz e perguntou... = natural
• A médica olhou meu nariz e ela perguntou... = usually less natural unless you want emphasis

It breaks down like this:

• A médica = the doctor
• olhou meu nariz = looked at my nose
• e = and
• perguntou = asked
• se = if / whether
• eu estava melhor = I was better

So the structure is:

subject + verb + object + and + verb + indirect question

A very literal gloss would be:

The doctor looked my nose and asked if I was better.

Natural English:

The doctor looked at my nose and asked if I was better.

Sometimes, yes, but they are not always exactly the same.

• médica = doctor, specifically the profession
• doutora = doctor, often used as a title of address or social title

In Brazil, people often call physicians doutor/doutora in real life, even though the literal word for the profession is médico/médica.

So:

• A médica olhou meu nariz = The doctor examined/looked at my nose
• A doutora olhou meu nariz = also possible in many contexts

But médica is the more precise profession word.

A careful pronunciation would be roughly:

a MEH-jee-ka o-LYOH meu na-RIZ i pehr-gun-TOU si eu es-TA-va me-LYOR

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• médica: the d before i often sounds like j in many parts of Brazil
• olhou: lh sounds like the lli in million
• meu sounds roughly like meh-oo, but as one smooth syllable
• nariz has stress on the last syllable: na-RIZ
• melhor also has lh, again like lli in million

This is only an approximation, but it can help you get started.