Word
Onde estão as meias brancas?
Meaning
Where are the white socks?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Onde estão as meias brancas?
estar
to be (temporary / location)
onde
where
branco
white
as meias
the socks
Questions & Answers about Onde estão as meias brancas?
Why do we use estão instead of são for the location of the socks?
We use estão from the verb estar because it is used for the location of people and physical objects. Even if the socks are usually kept in the same drawer, Portuguese always uses estar to state where things are. São from the verb ser is used instead to describe permanent qualities, such as what the socks are made of.
Why does the word brancas come after meias?
In Portuguese, descriptive adjectives like colors almost always come after the noun they describe. So instead of 'white socks', the sentence is structured as 'socks white' (meias brancas).
Why does the adjective brancas end in '-as' here?
Adjectives must match the gender and number of the noun they modify. Because meias is feminine and plural, the base masculine singular color word branco must change its ending to match, becoming brancas.
Doesn't the word meias also mean 'half'?
Yes, meia is often used to mean 'half' in expressions like meia-noite (midnight) or when giving the time. However, it is also the standard noun for 'sock' or 'socks'. It historically comes from an old expression for a 'half-hose' garment.