A neta da Ana já lê sozinha, mas o neto ainda prefere ouvir histórias.

Da is the contraction of de + a.

• de = of / from
• a = the feminine singular definite article the

So:

• a neta da Ana = Ana’s granddaughter / literally the granddaughter of Ana

In Portuguese, it is very common to use an article before a person’s name, especially in Brazilian Portuguese:

• a Ana
• o João

Because of that, de + a Ana becomes da Ana.

Portuguese often uses definite articles where English does not.

• A neta da Ana...
• o neto...

In English, we might say Ana’s granddaughter and her grandson without always thinking about the, but in Portuguese, using a/o here is natural and expected.

These articles also show gender and number:

• a neta = feminine singular
• o neto = masculine singular

They are the feminine and masculine forms of the same family word:

• neta = granddaughter
• neto = grandson

This is a very common pattern in Portuguese:

• menina / menino
• amiga / amigo
• prima / primo

The ending often changes from -a to -o to mark gender, though not always.

In this sentence, já means something like already.

• A neta da Ana já lê sozinha = Ana’s granddaughter already reads by herself.

It suggests that this ability has been reached at this point, maybe earlier than expected or as an important stage of development.

Common uses of já include:

• Já vou. = I’m coming right away / I’m going now.
• Já sei. = I already know.
• Ela já chegou. = She has already arrived.

Ainda here means still.

• mas o neto ainda prefere ouvir histórias = but the grandson still prefers listening to stories

So the contrast is:

• the granddaughter already reads by herself
• the grandson still prefers hearing stories

This já / ainda contrast is very common in Portuguese.

The accent marks both pronunciation and verb form.

Lê is the he/she/you form of the verb ler (to read) in the present tense:

• eu leio
• você/ele/ela lê
• nós lemos
• vocês/eles/elas leem

The circumflex accent in lê helps distinguish the stressed vowel and shows the correct spelling of the form.

So here:

• A neta da Ana já lê sozinha = Ana’s granddaughter already reads by herself

Because it refers to a neta, which is feminine.

• sozinho = alone / by oneself, masculine
• sozinha = alone / by oneself, feminine

Since the subject is a neta, the adjective/adverb-like form agrees with it:

• O neto lê sozinho.
• A neta lê sozinha.

In this sentence, sozinha means by herself.

It behaves like an adjective in form because it agrees with the person:

• sozinho
• sozinha
• sozinhos
• sozinhas

But in meaning, in this sentence, it works a lot like English alone or by herself, describing how she reads.

So in practice, learners usually understand it as:

• lê sozinha = reads by herself

The important thing to notice is the agreement with the subject.

Because preferir is followed directly by another verb in the infinitive.

• preferir + infinitive

Examples:

• Ela prefere estudar. = She prefers to study.
• Ele prefere sair cedo. = He prefers to leave early.
• O neto ainda prefere ouvir histórias. = The grandson still prefers to hear/listen to stories.

No preposition is needed before ouvir here.

Because after prefere, the second verb expresses the action that is preferred.

• prefere ouvir = prefers to listen/hear

This is very common in Portuguese:

• gosta de ler = likes to read
• quer comer = wants to eat
• precisa estudar = needs to study
• prefere ouvir = prefers to listen

So ouvir stays in the infinitive because it is the action being preferred.

In this context, it usually means listen to stories, even though the basic meaning of ouvir is often to hear.

Portuguese uses ouvir in places where English may prefer listen to:

• ouvir música = listen to music
• ouvir rádio = listen to the radio
• ouvir histórias = listen to stories

So a natural English translation here is prefers listening to stories or prefers to listen to stories.

Portuguese often leaves out the article when speaking in a general sense.

• ouvir histórias = to listen to stories

This means stories in general, not specific stories already identified.

If you said ouvir as histórias, that would sound more like listen to the stories, referring to specific ones.

So:

• ouvir histórias = listen to stories
• ouvir as histórias = listen to the stories

Mas means but.

It connects two contrasting ideas:

• A neta da Ana já lê sozinha
• mas o neto ainda prefere ouvir histórias

The contrast is between the granddaughter’s greater independence and the grandson’s continued preference for being told stories.

Yes, in normal reading, most people will understand o neto as also referring to Ana’s grandson.

The first phrase clearly says a neta da Ana. In the second part, Portuguese does not repeat da Ana, because it is already understood from context:

• A neta da Ana... mas o neto...

This is very natural. If needed for clarity, you could say mas o neto dela or mas o neto da Ana, but it is not necessary here.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

a NE-ta da A-na zha LE so-ZI-nya, maz u NE-tu a-IN-da pre-FE-ri oo-VEER is-TO-ryas

A few notes:

• já sounds like zha
• lê is stressed
• nh in sozinha sounds like the ny in canyon
• histórias has stress on tó

This is only an approximation, but it can help you get started.