Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| metade | /meˈta.d͡ʒi/ (Brazil) /mɨˈta.dɨ/ (Portugal) |
feminine |
| tempo | /ˈtẽ.pu/ (Brazil) /ˈtẽ.pu/ (Portugal) |
Metade is a noun referring to one of two roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided. To specify half of something, you can use the expression metade de. When you want to describe a noun as being half (an adjective), you can use meio or metade. For example, when using the adjective to express a fraction, the noun being divided follows the word for half, such as in meia pizza (half a pizza) or meia hora (half an hour). You can also express fractions by combining a cardinal number with meio, such as um e meio (one and a half) or três meios (three halves). Note that parte can also be used to mean an indefinite portion resembling a half.
Which one should you use?
Metade is used as a noun to mean 'a half' (the part itself), whereas meio is primarily used as an adjective meaning 'half' (describing the noun). For example, you would use meia (the feminine form of meio) before a feminine noun like meia hora.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun metade is feminine and requires feminine articles and adjectives. When using meio as an adjective to mean 'half' before a feminine noun, it must change to its feminine form, meia.
How do you pronounce it?
The word metade has three syllables and is pronounced /meˈta.dʒi/. The stress is on the second syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to confuse the adjective meio (meaning 'half') with its use as an adverb meaning 'somewhat'. If you are using it as an adverb, it should not change to agree with a noun.
Did you know?
- The term meia is used for both 'half' and 'sock', which can lead to funny linguistic coincidences in daily speech.
- In Brazil, meia entrada refers to a half-price ticket. It is a legally protected right for students, teachers and seniors to pay only half the cost for cinema and theater tickets.
- The word meio can refer to the 'middle' of something, but also to a 'means' or 'method' of doing something, such as meio de transporte for 'means of transport'.
Examples in context
- Essa metade é sua.Half of this is yours.This sentence shows how to assign half of something to a person using metade.Tatoeba #7589786 by Ricardo14, translation #7589707 by DanielDaniel
- Essa é a sua metade.That's your half.This sentence uses metade to identify a specific half.Tatoeba #4364396 by ajdavidl, translation #3723662 by CM
- Eu já te dei metade.I already gave you half.This sentence demonstrates giving half of something to someone using metade.Tatoeba #4959597 by carlosalberto, translation #3151414 by CK
- A metade do boloHalf of the cake
- Meio litro é metade de um litroHalf a liter is half of a liter
- Comi meio boloI ate half a cake
- Um metro e meioOne and a half meters
- Ele comeu metade do boloHe ate half of the cake
- Preciso de apenas meia hora para terminar a tarefa.I need just half an hour to finish the task.
- A metade do salário será depositada na sua conta.Half of the salary will be deposited in your account.
- A pizza foi dividida, cada um comeu sua metade.The pizza was divided, each person ate their half.
- 127 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Mariana are sharing a sandwich.
- GabrielVocê quer a minha metade?Do you want my half?
- MarianaNão, eu já comi a minha metade.No, I already ate my half.
- GabrielTudo bem, vou comer tudo.All right, I'll eat it all.
- MarianaBom apetite, Gabriel!Enjoy your meal, Gabriel!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “half” translations and entries metade, tempo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
