A la nit, sempre tapo la meva filla amb el llençol abans que s'adormi.

Yes. A la nit means at night / in the nighttime.

In this sentence, it sets the time frame for the whole action:

• A la nit = at night
• sempre tapo la meva filla... = I always cover my daughter...

Catalan also has de nit, which can sometimes also mean at night, but a la nit often sounds more like a specific time period in the evening/night when something happens.

Because Catalan often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

• tapo already means I cover
• the -o ending tells you it is 1st person singular present tense

So:

• tapo = I cover
• jo tapo = I cover / I cover

Using jo is possible, but it adds emphasis or contrast. Most of the time, Catalan prefers just tapo.

Here tapar means to cover someone up, especially with bedding like a sheet or blanket.

So in this sentence:

• tapo la meva filla amb el llençol = I cover my daughter with the sheet

This is a very natural use of tapar in Catalan. It is often used when talking about covering a person in bed.

Because Catalan normally uses the definite article with possessives.

So:

• la meva filla = my daughter
• el meu pare = my father
• la seva casa = his/her house

This is different from English, where you usually say just my daughter without the.

So although it looks like the my daughter word-for-word, that is normal Catalan grammar.

In some varieties, especially more traditional or regional ones, forms like ma filla, mon pare, ta mare can be used. But la meva filla is the standard, widely understood form and the safest one for learners.

So:

• la meva filla = standard and common
• ma filla = regional/literary/traditional in some varieties

Not exactly. Llençol means sheet, not blanket.

So:

• amb el llençol = with the sheet

If you wanted blanket, you would more likely use:

• manta = blanket

So this sentence specifically says the daughter is being covered with a sheet.

Because that is a normal place for adverbs of frequency in Catalan.

• sempre tapo... = I always cover...
• mai faig això = I never do that
• sovint vaig allà = I often go there

Catalan often places adverbs like sempre before the conjugated verb, though word order can vary for emphasis.

Because the subject changes.

• In the main clause, the subject is I: tapo
• In the subordinate clause, the subject is she: s'adormi

When the subject is different, Catalan normally uses:

• abans que + subjunctive

So:

• abans que s'adormi = before she falls asleep

If the subject were the same, then abans de + infinitive would be possible:

• Em rento les dents abans d'adormir-me = I brush my teeth before falling asleep

So the sentence uses abans que because I do the first action and she does the second.

Because abans que normally triggers the subjunctive in Catalan.

The idea is that the second action has not happened yet at the time of the first action, so it is viewed as pending or anticipated:

• abans que s'adormi = before she falls asleep

Here s'adormi is the present subjunctive of adormir-se.

This is very common in Catalan:

• T'ho diré abans que marxis = I’ll tell you before you leave
• Vine abans que sigui massa tard = Come before it’s too late

It comes from the reflexive verb adormir-se, which means to fall asleep.

Breakdown:

• adormir-se = to fall asleep
• s' = reflexive pronoun (herself, in a grammatical sense)
• adormi = subjunctive form

So:

• s'adormi = she fall asleep / she falls asleep, in the subjunctive structure after abans que

Compare:

• s'adorm = she falls asleep / is falling asleep (indicative)
• s'adormi = that she fall asleep / before she falls asleep (subjunctive context)

Because se becomes s' before a vowel.

The full reflexive pronoun is se, but Catalan shortens it before a vowel:

• se adormi → s'adormi

This is the same kind of contraction you see in many Catalan clitic pronouns.

In standard Catalan, after abans que, the expected form is the subjunctive:

• abans que s'adormi

Using adorm here would sound nonstandard or wrong in careful grammar.

So for learners, the correct pattern to remember is:

• abans que + subjunctive

The given word order is natural, but Catalan does allow some flexibility.

The original sentence:

• A la nit, sempre tapo la meva filla amb el llençol abans que s'adormi.

Possible variations could move the time phrase or adverb for emphasis, for example:

• Sempre tapo la meva filla amb el llençol a la nit abans que s'adormi.

But the original version is clear and natural because it starts with the time expression and then gives the habitual action.

Yes, it is natural. Tapar algú is a normal way to say cover someone up.

Depending on context, speakers might also say something more explicit like:

• tapo la meva filla amb el llençol
• la tapo amb el llençol = I cover her with the sheet

Once the daughter has already been mentioned, Catalan would often prefer the pronoun:

• A la nit, sempre la tapo amb el llençol abans que s'adormi.

That sounds very natural too.

Because the full noun phrase la meva filla is already used as the direct object.

So you have:

• tapo la meva filla = I cover my daughter

If you replaced that noun with a pronoun, then you would use la:

• la tapo = I cover her

You normally do one or the other, not both in standard basic usage.