Apesar de tudo, gosto destes dias agitados, porque ver a bebé no berço e a cadela a abanar o rabo dá-me paz.

Apesar de tudo is a fixed expression meaning despite everything or in spite of everything.

• apesar de = despite / in spite of
• tudo = everything

So the structure is:

• apesar de + noun / pronoun

Examples:

• Apesar da chuva, saímos. = Despite the rain, we went out.
• Apesar disso, continuou. = Despite that, he/she continued.

It sets up a contrast: things may be difficult, but the speaker still feels peace.

Because gostar normally takes the preposition de.

So:

• gostar de algo = to like something

That means the underlying structure is:

• gosto de estes dias

But in Portuguese, de + estes contracts to destes:

• de + estes = destes

So:

• gosto destes dias

This is very common with prepositions and demonstratives/articles in Portuguese.

This is about demonstratives.

• estes / destes = these, close to the speaker or connected to the present moment
• esses / desses = those, closer to the listener or something just mentioned
• aqueles / daqueles = those over there, more distant

Here, destes dias agitados suggests these hectic days I’m living through now. It feels immediate and present.

Here agitados means something like hectic, busy, restless, or full of activity.

It is plural because it agrees with dias:

• dia agitado = a hectic day
• dias agitados = hectic days

Since dias is masculine plural, the adjective must also be masculine plural:

• agitados

In European Portuguese, bebé can be either masculine or feminine depending on the sex of the baby:

• o bebé = the baby boy / the baby
• a bebé = the baby girl

So in this sentence, a bebé tells you the speaker is referring to a girl.

Also, Portuguese uses articles much more often than English does, so a bebé sounds very natural.

In Portuguese, definite articles are used very naturally and very frequently before nouns, including people, animals, and things that are already identifiable in the context.

So:

• a bebé
• a cadela

Both refer to specific, known beings in the speaker’s world.

Portuguese generally uses articles more consistently than English, so learners often notice this early on.

Because no is a contraction of:

• em + o = no

And berço is masculine:

• o berço = the crib / cot / cradle

So:

• em o berço becomes no berço

This kind of contraction is standard in Portuguese:

• na = em + a
• nos = em + os
• nas = em + as

Portuguese often uses the infinitive where English would use an -ing form.

So the idea is:

• ver a bebé no berço e a cadela a abanar o rabo = seeing the baby in the crib and the dog wagging its tail

This whole infinitive phrase acts like the subject of dá-me paz.

A very literal breakdown would be:

• To see the baby in the crib and the dog wagging its tail gives me peace

That sounds stiff in English, but it is perfectly natural in Portuguese.

This is a very important European Portuguese pattern.

After verbs of perception such as ver, ouvir, and sentir, European Portuguese often uses:

• object + a + infinitive

So:

• vi-o a correr = I saw him running
• ouvi a criança a chorar = I heard the child crying
• ver a cadela a abanar o rabo = to see the dog wagging its tail

The a here is not an article. It is part of the verbal construction.

This is especially common in European Portuguese. A learner familiar with Brazilian Portuguese may expect a different structure, often with a gerund.

Because after ver you do not need estar in this structure.

Compare:

• A cadela está a abanar o rabo. = The dog is wagging its tail.
• Vejo a cadela a abanar o rabo. = I see the dog wagging its tail.

In the second sentence, the verb of perception (ver) already introduces the action being observed, so a + infinitive is enough.

Portuguese often uses the definite article with body parts where English prefers a possessive.

So:

• abanar o rabo = wag its tail
• lavar as mãos = wash one’s hands
• fechar os olhos = close one’s eyes

Using o seu rabo is possible in some contexts, but here it would sound less natural and less idiomatic.

Also, for animals, rabo is the normal everyday word for tail in this kind of sentence.

Because in European Portuguese, object pronouns are very often attached after the verb. This is called enclisis.

So:

• dá-me = gives me
• disse-me = told me
• mostra-nos = shows us

The hyphen is required in standard spelling.

In this sentence:

• me = to me

So dá-me paz means literally gives me peace.

This is one of the big differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese, because Brazilian Portuguese much more often uses forms like me dá in everyday speech.

Because the grammatical subject is not the baby and the dog.

The subject is the whole action:

• ver a bebé no berço e a cadela a abanar o rabo

The main verb of that subject is ver. In other words, it is the act of seeing those two things that gives the speaker peace.

So the sentence is structured like this:

• [Ver X e Y] dá-me paz.

That is why dá is singular.

Because porque is the normal word for because when giving a reason.

Here it introduces the cause:

• the speaker likes these hectic days because seeing those things brings peace

This is different from:

• porquê = the reason / why, used as a noun
• por que = for what reason / why, often in questions
• porquê? = why?, when used alone at the end

So in this sentence, porque is exactly the right form.