meio/meia

Meio/Meia Agreement

Level 2

Meio is a tricky word because it changes based on its job. When it means 'half', it changes gender to match the noun. When it means 'a bit' or 'somewhat', it is an adverb and stays masculine (meio) regardless of who is speaking.

How It Works

To become proficient in this pattern, you must distinguish between quantity and intensity.

1. As a Numeral/Adjective (Quantity)
When you are talking about 'half' of something, the word functions as an adjective or numeral. It must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes:

  • Meio copo (Half a glass - masculine)
  • Meia xícara (Half a cup - feminine)
  • Meias-entradas (Half-price tickets - feminine plural)

2. As an Adverb (Intensity)
When you mean 'a bit', 'kind of', or 'somewhat', it is an adverb modifying an adjective. In standard Portuguese, adverbs are invariable. This means even if a woman is speaking about herself, she should say 'meio':

  • Ela está meio triste. (She is a bit sad.)
  • As janelas estão meio abertas. (The windows are halfway open.)

3. Special Cases

  • Telling Time: We say meio-dia e meia because it refers to 'half an hour' (meia hora).
  • Phone Numbers: In Brazil, meia is often used for the number 6 (short for meia dúzia) to avoid confusion with três (3).
  • Nouns: O meio means 'the middle' or 'the environment', while a meia means 'the sock'.

Examples (5)

  1. Eu bebi meio copo de suco.

    I drank half a glass of juice.

    Word by Word: I drank half glass of juice.

    Here, 'meio' is an adjective modifying the masculine noun 'copo', so it stays masculine.

  2. Espere meia hora, por favor.

    Wait half an hour, please.

    Word by Word: Wait half hour, for favor.

    Since 'hora' is feminine, 'meio' changes to 'meia' to agree with it.

  3. Ela parece meio cansada hoje.

    She seems a bit tired today.

    Word by Word: She seems bit tired today.

    Even though 'ela' and 'cansada' are feminine, 'meio' is an adverb here (meaning 'a bit') and remains invariable.

  4. As portas da sala estão meio abertas.

    The living room doors are halfway open.

    Word by Word: The doors of-the room are half open.

    As an adverb modifying the adjective 'abertas', 'meio' does not change to plural or feminine.

  5. Agora é meio-dia e meia.

    It is now 12:30 (midday and a half).

    Word by Word: Now is half-day and half.

    We use 'meia' because it refers to 'meia hora' (half hour), which is feminine.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'meia' as an adverb for feminine subjects.

    Ela está meia preocupada.
    Ela está meio preocupada.

    In formal Portuguese, 'meio' meaning 'a bit' is an adverb and never changes gender, even if the person is female.

  • Saying 'meio-dia e meio' for 12:30.

    São meio-dia e meio.
    É meio-dia e meia.

    The 'half' refers to the hour (a hora), which is feminine, so it must be 'meia'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

meio/meiaLevel 2Meio/Meia Agreement

Learn This First

To understand 'meio/meia', a learner must first grasp the concept of grammatical gender in Portuguese nouns and how adjectives or quantifiers must agree with those nouns in gender.

Words in This Pattern