Breakdown of Ela comeu meia tarte de maçã.
ele
he
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
comer
to eat
meio
half
a maçã
the apple
a tarte
the pie / the tart
Questions & Answers about Ela comeu meia tarte de maçã.
Why does this sentence use meia instead of meio?
Because here, meia acts as an adjective meaning 'half of a', modifying the feminine noun tarte. Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. If it meant 'kind of' or 'a bit' (like being 'kind of' tired), it would be the invariable adverb meio. Since she ate a physical half of a pie, it changes to match the feminine noun.
Notice how English says 'half an apple pie'. Why isn't there a word for 'an' in the Portuguese sentence?
In Portuguese, when you use meio or meia as an adjective to mean 'half a', you place it directly before the noun. You do not add the indefinite article (um or uma) in between, so it is simply meia tarte.
Why is it de maçã and not da maçã?
When describing a type, flavor, or material of a food item, Portuguese usually uses just the preposition de without a definite article. It is an apple pie in general, not a pie made from a specific, previously mentioned apple.
Learn Ela comeu meia tarte de maçã and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free