Ana prefere peixe, mas a filha dela gosta mais de frango.

Prefere comes from the verb preferir, which means to prefer.

In this sentence:

• Ana prefere peixe = Ana prefers fish

Preferir is an -ir verb, and prefere is the third person singular form in the present tense, used for ele/ela/você.

A quick mini-conjugation:

• eu prefiro
• você/ele/ela prefere
• nós preferimos
• vocês/eles/elas preferem

So Ana prefere is used because Ana is she.

In Portuguese, when talking about food in a general sense, it is very common to use the noun without an article.

So:

• Ana prefere peixe = Ana prefers fish
• gosta mais de frango = likes chicken more / likes chicken better

This sounds natural when you mean the food generally, not a specific fish or a specific chicken dish.

You could sometimes hear articles in other contexts, but in a basic statement of preference, leaving them out is very normal.

Mas in Portuguese means but.

So:

• Ana prefere peixe, mas... = Ana prefers fish, but...

It is not the same as Spanish más meaning more.

In Portuguese:

• mas = but
• mais = more

That difference is very important here, because the sentence contains both ideas:

• mas = but
• mais = more

A filha dela means her daughter.

Portuguese often prefers dela instead of sua when clarity is important, because seu/sua can mean:

• his
• her
• your (depending on the variety and context)

So:

• a filha dela = her daughter, clearly referring to Ana's daughter
• sua filha could potentially be ambiguous in some contexts

Using dela is very common in Brazilian Portuguese and often sounds clearer and more natural.

The a is the definite article the.

So:

• a filha dela = her daughter literally the daughter of her

Portuguese often uses definite articles before nouns where English would not. This is especially common with family relationships and many ordinary nouns.

Examples:

• a mãe dele = his mother
• o pai dela = her father
• a irmã da Ana = Ana's sister

So the article is completely normal here.

Gosta mais de frango literally means likes chicken more.

In natural English, depending on context, you might translate it as:

• likes chicken better
• likes chicken more
• prefers chicken

The idea is that the daughter has a stronger liking for chicken.

A subtle point: gostar mais de often suggests a comparison, even if the other option is not fully stated. In this sentence, the comparison is naturally understood from the context: fish vs. chicken.

Because the verb is gostar de, not just gostar.

In Portuguese, gostar normally takes the preposition de before the thing or person liked.

Examples:

• gosto de café = I like coffee
• ela gosta de música = she likes music
• eles gostam de viajar = they like traveling

So here:

• gosta mais de frango = likes chicken more

This is one of the most important patterns to memorize: gostar de + noun/verb.

Yes, you could.

For example:

• Ana prefere peixe, mas a filha dela prefere frango.

That would also be correct and very natural.

The difference is mainly one of phrasing:

• prefere frango = prefers chicken
• gosta mais de frango = likes chicken more / likes chicken better

Both work, but gostar mais de can feel a little softer or more conversational in some contexts.

Not exactly. Dela is more literally of her.

So:

• a filha dela = literally the daughter of her
• natural English: her daughter

Brazilian Portuguese often uses this structure:

• dele = of him / his
• dela = of her / her
• deles = of them
• delas = of them

This is very common and often helps avoid ambiguity.

Filha can be tricky for English speakers because of lh.

• lh is a special Portuguese sound, similar to the lli in some pronunciations of million, but not exactly the same.
• filha sounds approximately like FEE-lya

So:

• fi = like fee
• lha = roughly lya

The whole word is approximately FEE-lya.

This lh sound also appears in words like:

• trabalho
• mulher
• milho

Because mas introduces a contrast, like but in English.

The sentence has two parts:

• Ana prefere peixe
• mas a filha dela gosta mais de frango

Putting a comma before mas is standard and natural, just as in English:

• Ana prefers fish, but her daughter likes chicken more.

So the punctuation works very similarly here.

It would also be understood in Portugal, but it feels especially natural in Brazilian Portuguese because of a filha dela.

In European Portuguese, people may also use structures like:

• a filha dela
• a sua filha

Both varieties understand the sentence easily. The most noticeably Brazilian feature here is the frequent preference for dela to make possession clear.

Yes, that is the most natural interpretation in this context.

The sentence sets up a contrast:

• Ana prefers fish
• her daughter likes chicken more

So the listener naturally understands that the daughter prefers chicken, probably in contrast to fish.

However, strictly speaking, mais just tells you there is a comparison. The exact comparison is inferred from context. Here, the context makes chicken rather than fish the obvious meaning.