A criança segura a mão da mãe para atravessar a rua.

Because Portuguese uses definite articles much more often than English.

In this sentence:

• A criança = the child
• a mão = the hand
• da mãe = of the mother / the mother’s
• a rua = the street

In English, we might sometimes leave articles out or use possessives more directly, but in Portuguese it is very normal to include the article:

• a mãe = the mother / mom
• a rua = the street

This is one reason Portuguese can sound more article-heavy to English speakers.

Here, segura is the verb segurar in the third person singular:

• segurar = to hold
• ela segura = she holds
• a criança segura = the child holds

So in this sentence, segura means holds.

It is true that seguro/segura can also be an adjective meaning safe or secure, but the structure here makes it clear that it is a verb:

• A criança segura a mão da mãe
  = The child holds the mother’s hand

If it were the adjective, the sentence structure would be different.

Because Portuguese often drops subject pronouns when the subject is already clear.

Here, the subject is explicitly stated:

• A criança segura...

So there is no need to say ela.

Portuguese commonly does this:

• A criança segura a mão da mãe.
• not necessarily A criança ela segura...

Adding ela here would usually sound unnecessary.

Because de + a contracts in Portuguese:

• de + a = da

So:

• a mão da mãe = the mother’s hand
• literally: the hand of the mother

This kind of contraction is very common:

• de + o = do
• de + a = da
• em + a = na
• em + o = no

So da mãe is just the normal contracted form.

Portuguese often prefers this structure:

• a mão da mãe = the mother’s hand

instead of:

• sua mão = her hand

One reason is clarity. Sua can sometimes be ambiguous in Portuguese, because it might refer to different people depending on context.

So a mão da mãe is very clear and natural.

Also, Portuguese frequently uses:

• article + body part + de + person

For example:

• Ele lavou as mãos. = He washed his hands.
• A criança segura a mão da mãe. = The child holds the mother’s hand.

Because after para when expressing purpose, Portuguese normally uses the infinitive:

• para atravessar = to cross / in order to cross

So the pattern is:

• para + infinitive

Examples:

• Ela veio para estudar. = She came to study.
• Ele saiu para comprar pão. = He went out to buy bread.
• A criança segura a mão da mãe para atravessar a rua.

Using para atravessa would be incorrect here.

Yes. That part expresses purpose.

• para = to / in order to
• atravessar a rua = cross the street

So the idea is:

• The child holds the mother’s hand in order to cross the street.

In English, we often just say to cross the street, and Portuguese works similarly here.

Because atravessar is a transitive verb in Portuguese. It directly takes the thing being crossed:

• atravessar a rua = cross the street
• atravessar o rio = cross the river
• atravessar a ponte = cross the bridge

So there is no extra preposition needed before a rua.

Not necessarily.

Criança is a grammatically feminine noun, so it takes feminine articles and adjectives:

• a criança
• a criança pequena

But it can refer to either a boy or a girl.

This is an important distinction in Portuguese:

• grammatical gender is not always the same as biological sex

So a criança can still mean the child, regardless of whether the child is male or female.

Because mão is an irregular noun in terms of gender.

Most nouns ending in -o are masculine, but mão is one of the important exceptions:

• a mão = the hand

So you simply have to memorize it as feminine.

Other common irregular gender nouns also exist in Portuguese, so this is something learners get used to over time.

Very often, yes.

In Brazilian Portuguese, family words are commonly used with definite articles:

• a mãe
• o pai
• a avó
• o irmão

So:

• a mão da mãe sounds very natural

English usually says the mother’s hand or her mother’s hand, but Portuguese likes the article here.

Yes, in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, para is very often shortened to pra.

So you may hear:

• A criança segura a mão da mãe pra atravessar a rua.

That sounds natural and common in speech.

However:

• para is the full form
• pra is more informal

So for writing, textbooks, and careful speech, para is usually preferred.

Yes. That would also be correct.

Portuguese has two common ways to talk about a present action:

• A criança segura a mão da mãe
• A criança está segurando a mão da mãe

The first one, segura, can describe a present action very naturally, especially in general description or narration.

The second one, está segurando, puts more emphasis on the action as ongoing right now.

Both are possible, but the simple present is very common in Portuguese in contexts where English might prefer is holding.

Yes, that is a very natural way to say it.

Common patterns include:

• segurar a mão da mãe
• segurar a mão do pai
• segurar a mão de alguém

You may also hear:

• dar a mão = to give your hand
• andar de mãos dadas = to walk hand in hand

So segurar a mão da mãe is a completely normal expression.

Mãe has a nasal sound, which is very important in Portuguese pronunciation.

The ãe sound is nasal, roughly like:

• mãe ≈ myng or mah-eing
  but neither English spelling captures it perfectly

A few key points:

• the ã is nasal
• the e at the end is part of the diphthong
• the tilde ~ marks nasalization

This is one of those sounds that is best learned by listening and repeating, because English does not have an exact equivalent.

This is the normal and most neutral word order:

• A criança = subject
• segura = verb
• a mão da mãe = object
• para atravessar a rua = purpose

So the sentence follows a very common pattern:

• Subject + Verb + Object + Purpose

Portuguese can sometimes change word order for emphasis, but this version is the standard, natural one for learners to use.