Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Estou doente, então não trabalho.

Estou doente, então não trabalho.

I am ill, so I do not work.

Breakdown of Estou doente, então não trabalho.

não

not / no

estar

to be (temporary / location)

Questions & Answers about Estou doente, então não trabalho.

Why do we use Estou instead of Sou for "I am"?

In Portuguese, the verb estar is used for temporary states, while ser is used for permanent characteristics. Since being ill (doente) is usually a temporary condition, we use estou (I am).

Does doente change depending on whether a man or woman is speaking?

No. Adjectives that end in -e are generally gender-neutral in Portuguese. Both men and women say estou doente.

How does então work in this sentence?

You might already know então as "then", but here it acts as a connecting word meaning "so" or "therefore". It connects the situation (estou doente) directly to its result (não trabalho).

Could I use porque (because) instead of então in this sentence?

Not in this exact order! The word porque introduces a cause, but então introduces a result. To use porque, you would have to flip the sentence around: Não trabalho porque estou doente (I do not work because I am ill).

Is trabalho a verb or a noun here?