A minha sobrinha já começou a gatinhar pela sala e tenta esconder a chupeta debaixo do sofá.

In European Portuguese, it is very common to use the definite article before a possessive: a minha, o meu, os meus, as minhas, etc.

So:

• a minha sobrinha = my niece
• o meu irmão = my brother

In English we do not use an article before my, but Portuguese often does. In Portugal, leaving out the article can sound less natural in many ordinary sentences.

Because sobrinha is a feminine noun, and the possessive must agree with it.

• meu sobrinho = my nephew
• minha sobrinha = my niece

So meu/minha changes according to the gender and number of the thing possessed, not the speaker.

Já often means already.

In this sentence, já começou a gatinhar means she has already started crawling or started crawling already.

It gives the idea that this is a new stage that has now happened. Depending on context, já can also mean things like now, right away, or soon, but here already is the natural meaning.

Some Portuguese verbs require a preposition before another verb in the infinitive. Começar is commonly followed by a:

• começar a fazer = to start doing
• começar a falar = to start speaking
• começar a gatinhar = to start crawling

So you say:

• Ela começou a gatinhar.

Not:

• Ela começou gatinhar.

This is just part of the verb pattern you need to learn.

Gatinhar means to crawl, especially for a baby crawling on hands and knees.

It comes from gato (cat), so the image is of moving in a cat-like way.

You may also come across engatinhar, which can mean the same thing. In everyday use, both can refer to a baby crawling.

Pela is a contraction of:

• por + a = pela

Here, pela sala means something like:

• around the room
• through the room
• across the room

The exact English translation depends on context, but the idea is movement within that space.

Compare:

• pela casa = around/through the house
• pela rua = along the street / through the street

So gatinhar pela sala suggests the niece is crawling around the living room.

In Portuguese, sala often means living room in everyday use, especially when the context is the main room of the house.

So:

• pela sala often naturally means around the living room

But literally, sala can also mean room or hall depending on context. Here, living room is probably the best interpretation.

Because tentar is normally followed directly by the infinitive, without a preposition:

• tentar fazer = to try to do
• tentar abrir = to try to open
• tentar esconder = to try to hide

So:

• Ela tenta esconder a chupeta.

Not:

• Ela tenta a esconder...

This is different from começar, which usually takes a.

Portuguese often uses definite articles where English does not.

Here, a chupeta means the pacifier/dummy, but in English we might simply say her pacifier or just the pacifier depending on context.

Portuguese often uses the article when referring to a specific, known object:

• a chave = the key
• o telemóvel = the mobile phone
• a chupeta = the pacifier/dummy

In this sentence, it refers to a particular pacifier, so the article is natural.

In Portugal, chupeta means dummy or pacifier.

If you are used to Brazilian Portuguese, be aware that vocabulary can vary a bit between Portugal and Brazil, but chupeta is widely understood.

So:

• esconder a chupeta = to hide the dummy/pacifier

Debaixo de means under or underneath.

So:

• debaixo do sofá = under the sofa

The do is a contraction of:

• de + o = do

Because sofá is masculine singular, it takes o:

• o sofá = the sofa
• de + o sofá → do sofá

Other similar contractions:

• de + a = da
• de + os = dos
• de + as = das

Example:

• debaixo da mesa = under the table

This mix of tenses is natural.

• já começou a gatinhar = she has already started crawling / she already started crawling
• tenta esconder = she tries to hide

The first part describes something that has already happened: the beginning of the crawling stage.

The second part describes a current or habitual action: she tries to hide the pacifier.

So the sentence combines:

1. a completed starting point in the past (começou)
2. an ongoing or repeated present behavior (tenta)

That is a very natural combination in both Portuguese and English.

Yes. Tentar means to try, so it focuses on the attempt, not the result.

• tenta esconder a chupeta = she tries to hide the pacifier

This does not guarantee she manages to hide it successfully. If you wanted to say she actually hides it, you would use esconde or a past form such as escondeu, depending on context.

Yes. The nh in sobrinha is an important Portuguese sound. It is similar to the ny sound in canyon.

So:

• sobrinha sounds roughly like so-BREEN-ya

The ending is not pronounced like English -nia or -nha with a hard n. The nh is a single sound.

Other examples:

• minha
• vinho
• banho

This is a very common sound in Portuguese.

Yes, it is very natural.

• A minha sobrinha = subject
• já começou a gatinhar pela sala = first action
• e tenta esconder a chupeta debaixo do sofá = second action

Portuguese often follows a straightforward subject-verb-object pattern, especially in neutral statements.

A literal breakdown is:

• A minha sobrinha = my niece
• já começou = already started
• a gatinhar = to crawl / crawling
• pela sala = around the living room
• e = and
• tenta = tries
• esconder = to hide
• a chupeta = the pacifier/dummy
• debaixo do sofá = under the sofa

So the sentence structure is quite standard and useful as a model.