A batalha começou cedo.

A batalha means the battle, while uma batalha means a battle.

Portuguese makes the same definite/indefinite distinction as English:

• a batalha = the battle
• uma batalha = a battle

So this sentence is talking about a specific battle, not just any battle.

Because batalha is a feminine noun in Portuguese.

Singular definite articles in Portuguese are:

• o for masculine nouns
• a for feminine nouns

So:

• a batalha = the battle

This is something you generally have to learn with each noun. The ending -a often suggests a feminine noun, and batalha does follow that common pattern.

Começou is the preterite form of the verb começar, meaning to begin or to start.

Here it means:

• começou = began / started

This is the tense normally used for a completed action in the past.

So A batalha começou cedo means that the beginning of the battle happened at a specific point in the past.

The infinitive is começar.

A few useful forms are:

• começar = to begin, to start
• começo = I begin / I start
• começa = he/she/it begins; you begin
• começou = he/she/it began; you began

In this sentence, começou matches a batalha, which is third person singular.

This happens because of Portuguese spelling rules.

The verb is começar. In forms where the next vowel is a, o, or u, Portuguese often uses ç to keep the s sound.

Compare:

• começar — the ç gives an s sound before a
• começou — the ç keeps that same s sound before o

If it were written with a plain c before o, it would sound like k, which would be wrong.

So começou is spelled that way to preserve pronunciation.

Because the subject, a batalha, is singular.

In Portuguese, the verb agrees with the subject:

• A batalha começou = The battle started
• As batalhas começaram = The battles started

So the singular noun batalha takes the singular verb form começou.

Here, cedo means early.

It is being used as an adverb, describing when the battle started:

• começou cedo = started early

So cedo is not describing the battle itself; it is describing the action of starting.

In this sentence, it is an adverb.

It modifies the verb começou:

• A batalha começou cedo = The battle started early

That means it answers the question when did it start?

Portuguese uses cedo very commonly as an adverb. For example:

• Acordei cedo = I woke up early
• Ele chegou cedo = He arrived early

Yes, but the most neutral and natural order here is:

• A batalha começou cedo.

Portuguese allows some flexibility, especially for emphasis. For example:

• Cedo, a batalha começou.
• Começou cedo a batalha.

These alternatives are possible, but they sound more marked, literary, or context-dependent. For everyday usage, A batalha começou cedo is the safest choice.

Yes, that is possible, but começou is usually more common and natural in everyday Portuguese.

Both can mean started:

• A batalha começou cedo
• A batalha iniciou cedo

However, iniciar can sound a little more formal depending on context. A Brazilian learner will hear começar very often in normal speech.

In Brazilian Portuguese, começou is roughly pronounced like koh-meh-SOH with the stress on the last syllable.

A simple approximation of the whole sentence is:

• A batalha começou cedo
• ah bah-TAH-lyah koh-meh-SOH SEH-doo

A few notes:

• batalha contains lh, which sounds like the lli in million for many English speakers
• começou is stressed on the final syllable
• cedo is stressed on the first syllable

Because Portuguese usually uses the preterite for a completed past event like this.

English often has a choice between:

• started
• has started

But in Portuguese, a sentence like this normally uses the simple past form:

• começou

So A batalha começou cedo is the standard way to express that the battle began early in the past.