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Não viste a série porque o ecrã está estragado.

Não viste a série porque o ecrã está estragado.
You didn't see the series because the screen is broken.
From Lesson 80:Past tense of ver, dar, and ler·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Não viste a série porque o ecrã está estragado.

What verb is viste from, and who is the subject?
viste is the simple past tense (Pretérito Perfeito Simples) of the irregular verb ver (to see). It is conjugated for tu, the informal 'you'. So it means 'you saw' (or with Não, 'you didn't see').
Why do we use está instead of é for 'is'?
We use está (from the verb estar) because a broken screen is a physical state or condition. We use estar for temporary states and conditions, while ser is for permanent characteristics.
I thought estragado meant 'spoiled' (like old food). Can it also mean 'broken'?
Yes! While estragado is used for spoiled food, it is also the standard word in Portugal for objects, electronics, or machines that are broken, damaged, or out of order.
Why does the sentence use estragado instead of estragada?
Because it describes o ecrã (the screen), which is a masculine noun. If the broken object were feminine, like a televisão (the television), it would change to match it as estragada.
Is ecrã the only word for 'screen'?
In Portugal, o ecrã is the standard word for the screen of a TV, computer, or phone. If you have studied Brazilian Portuguese, you might be more familiar with the word a tela, but you will rarely hear that used for electronics in Portugal.

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