Breakdown of Eu comi meia taça de sopa porque estava meio doente.
eu
I
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
estar
to be (temporary / location)
doente
sick
comer
to eat
a sopa
the soup
porque
because
meio
somewhat / kind of
a taça
the bowl (dessert) / the goblet
Questions & Answers about Eu comi meia taça de sopa porque estava meio doente.
Why is the word for 'half/kind of' spelled differently in meia taça and meio doente?
If the speaker of this sentence is female, should she say estava meia doente instead?
No, she should still say estava meio doente. Because it is acting as an adverb ('kind of' sick), meio is invariable and doesn't change based on the speaker's gender. You will actually hear native Portuguese speakers say things like meia doente or meias cansadas in casual speech, but strictly speaking, this is a grammatical mistake.
Why is the imperfect tense (estava) used here instead of the preterite (estive)?
The imperfect tense (estava) is used to describe an ongoing state or background condition in the past. You are explaining how you were feeling at the time you were eating the soup. Using the preterite (estive) would make it sound like a completed, isolated block of time, rather than the ongoing background reason for why you only ate half the bowl.
Is taça the only word used for a soup bowl in Portugal?
While taça is perfectly natural and widely used for a soup bowl, you will also frequently hear the word tigela. Just be aware that taça can also refer to a wine glass or a dessert cup, depending entirely on the context.
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