A Maria prefere menos canela, mas gosta muito da baunilha.

In European Portuguese, it is very common to use the definite article before a person’s first name in everyday speech:

• A Maria
• O João
• A Ana

So A Maria does not mean the Maria in the English sense. It is just a normal Portuguese way of referring to someone.

In more formal styles, especially in writing, the article may be omitted:

• Maria prefere menos canela...

But in Portugal, A Maria sounds very natural.

Prefere is the 3rd person singular of the verb preferir in the present tense.

Because the subject is A Maria = Maria / she, the verb must match that subject:

• eu prefiro = I prefer
• tu preferes = you prefer
• ele/ela prefere = he/she prefers

So:

• A Maria prefere... = Maria prefers...

Portuguese often leaves out the subject pronoun when it is already clear from the context.

So after A Maria prefere menos canela, the sentence continues with:

• mas gosta muito da baunilha

The subject is still understood to be Maria.

You could say mas ela gosta muito da baunilha, but it is usually unnecessary unless you want extra emphasis or contrast.

Yes. Menos is used for both less and fewer in Portuguese.

Examples:

• menos água = less water
• menos livros = fewer books

In this sentence, canela is an uncountable noun, so menos means less:

• menos canela = less cinnamon

Here, canela is being used as a general substance or ingredient, so Portuguese can leave the article out:

• prefere menos canela

That is very natural when talking about ingredients, food, or amounts of a substance.

Compare:

• prefere canela = prefers cinnamon
• prefere menos canela = prefers less cinnamon

If you added an article, it could sound more specific depending on the context, but in this sentence the article-less form is the most straightforward and natural choice.

Because gostar normally takes the preposition de.

So the structure is:

• gostar de alguma coisa = to like something

That means:

• gosta de baunilha
• gosta da baunilha

In your sentence, de combines with the feminine singular article a:

• de + a = da

So:

• gosta da baunilha

This is a very common contraction in Portuguese.

This is a very good question, because the two verbs behave differently.

• preferir takes a direct object: prefere menos canela
• gostar usually requires de: gosta da baunilha

With gostar de, Portuguese very often uses an article with the noun, especially in European Portuguese:

• gosto do chocolate
• gosto da baunilha
• gosto do café

But with preferir, when talking about a substance or ingredient in a general way, the noun often appears without an article:

• prefere canela
• prefere menos canela

So the difference comes from both:

1. the verb used, and
2. how Portuguese treats the noun in that structure.

Here muito is an adverb meaning a lot or very much, and it modifies the verb gosta.

So:

• gosta muito = likes a lot / likes very much

This word order is normal in Portuguese:

• trabalha muito = works a lot
• estuda muito = studies a lot
• gosta muito = likes a lot

Do not confuse this with muito used as an adjective before a noun:

• muito açúcar = a lot of sugar
• muita canela = a lot of cinnamon

This is a very common confusion for learners.

• mas = but
• mais = more

In your sentence, it is mas because it connects two contrasting ideas:

• A Maria prefere menos canela, mas gosta muito da baunilha.

If it were mais, the meaning would be different and incorrect here.

Compare:

• menos canela, mas mais baunilha = less cinnamon, but more vanilla

So:

• mas = conjunction
• mais = quantity/comparison word

The lh in Portuguese is a special sound. It is not pronounced like a normal English l followed by h.

A useful approximation for English speakers is the lli sound in million.

So baunilha is roughly like:

• bow-NEEL-yuh

That is only an approximation, but it helps.

A few notes:

• lh = a soft palatal sound
• the stress is on ni: bau-NI-lha
• in European Portuguese, vowels are often reduced more than in Brazilian Portuguese

So the important point is: pronounce lh as a single soft sound, not as two separate letters.