Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Este chá está muito fraco.

Este chá está muito fraco.

This tea is very weak.

Breakdown of Este chá está muito fraco.

muito

much / very

estar

to be (temporary / location)

este

this (este, esta, estes, estas)

o chá

the tea

Questions & Answers about Este chá está muito fraco.

Why doesn't muito change endings in this sentence?

Here, muito means very. This makes it an adverb of degree describing how weak the tea is. When used as an adverb, muito never changes its ending. It only changes into forms like muita or muitos when it means much or many and is attached directly to a noun.

Why use está here instead of é for the word is?

We use está from the verb estar because being weak is the current state of this specific cup of tea. If we used é from the verb ser, it would mean that this specific type of tea is permanently weak by its very nature.

Could I use Isto instead of Este to say this tea?

No, because Isto is used to mean this thing when you do not name the object. When you place the word for this right next to a specific noun, you must use Este for masculine words or Esta for feminine words. Since chá is masculine, it has to be Este chá.

Does the adjective fraco change depending on what is weak?