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Meia dúzia de maçãs chega.

Meia dúzia de maçãs chega.
Half a dozen apples is enough.
From Lesson 133:As medidas e as quantidades (a dúzia, tanto)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Meia dúzia de maçãs chega.

Why does the verb chegar (to arrive) translate to "is enough" here?
While chegar does usually mean "to arrive," it is also widely used in Portuguese to mean "to be enough" or "to suffice." If you want to tell someone "that's enough!" or "stop!" you can simply say "chega!"
Since maçãs (apples) is plural, why is the verb chega in the singular form?
The verb agrees with the core subject of the sentence, which is meia dúzia (half a dozen). Because dúzia is a singular noun, the verb must be the singular chega, even though the plural word maçãs is right next to it.
Why is it meia dúzia instead of meio dúzia?
When used to mean "half," the word meio acts like an adjective and must match the gender of the noun it describes. Because dúzia is a feminine word, you must use the feminine form meia.
Why do we need the word de before maçãs?
In English, you can just say "half a dozen apples," but in Portuguese, nouns that express quantities, containers, or measurements (like a dozen, a kilo, or a glass) must be connected to the item with the preposition de (of). Literally, the sentence says "half a dozen of apples."

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