A ronda já começou?

Because ronda is a feminine singular noun, and here it is being used with the definite article a, meaning the.

So:

• a ronda = the round / the patrol / the round of checks

In Portuguese, it is very normal to use the definite article where English might or might not use the, depending on context.

Ronda can have a few meanings depending on context. Common ones include:

• patrol
• round
• round of checks
• round in a game, activity, or sequence

So the exact translation depends on the situation.

For example:

• in a security context, a ronda might mean the patrol
• in a hospital, it could mean the round
• in a game or event, it could mean the round

Even if the general meaning has already been given, this is a useful word to remember because it is quite context-dependent.

Here já means already.

So A ronda já começou? is literally:

• The round already started?

A natural English translation is often:

• Has the round started already?
• Has the patrol already begun?

In questions, já can sometimes feel close to English yet, depending on the context, but its core meaning is still already.

Compare:

• Já começou. = It has already started.
• Já começou? = Has it already started?

This is a very common question for English speakers.

Começou is the preterite form of começar for ele/ela/você:

• começar = to begin / to start
• começou = began / started

But in Portuguese, especially in everyday use, the simple past often covers meanings that English expresses with the present perfect.

So Portuguese says:

• A ronda já começou?

where English naturally says:

• Has the round started already?

This is completely normal. Portuguese does not always match English tense-for-tense.

Começou is 3rd person singular:

• ele começou = he started
• ela começou = she started
• você começou = you started
• or, as here, a ronda começou = the round started

The subject is already stated as a ronda, so no pronoun is needed.

Portuguese often leaves out subject pronouns when the subject is clear from the verb form or from the noun already present.

Yes. Já começou a ronda? is also correct and natural.

Both are possible:

• A ronda já começou?
• Já começou a ronda?

The difference is mainly one of focus and rhythm:

• A ronda já começou? starts by introducing the round
• Já começou a ronda? starts with already / has it started, which can sound a bit more immediate

Both are fine in European Portuguese.

Because ainda does not work that way in this sentence.

• já = already
• ainda = still / yet, depending on context

If you want to ask Hasn’t the round started yet?, Portuguese would normally say:

• A ronda ainda não começou?

Literally:

• The round still not started?

So:

• já começou? = has it already started?
• ainda não começou? = hasn’t it started yet?

That contrast is very important.

In European Portuguese, começou is pronounced approximately like:

• kuh-meh-SOH

More accurately, the final stressed syllable is -çou, and the ou sound is like oh in standard European Portuguese pronunciation.

A few helpful points:

• the stress is on the last syllable: co-me-ÇOU
• ç sounds like s
• the final ou in European Portuguese is usually a closed o sound, not a strong English ow

Also, unstressed vowels in European Portuguese are often reduced, so the beginning may sound less clear and more compressed than an English speaker expects.

In European Portuguese, yes/no questions are often marked mainly by intonation, not by changing word order.

So a native speaker would usually say A ronda já começou? with a rising question intonation at the end.

That means the structure stays the same as a statement:

• A ronda já começou. = The round has already started.
• A ronda já começou? = Has the round already started?

The question mark in writing reflects the change in intonation.

Neither. Começar is a full verb by itself.

So:

• começar = to start / to begin

And:

• A ronda já começou? literally means Has the round already started?

You do not need ser or estar with it.

A learner might think of English structures like is started, but that does not match Portuguese here.

Yes, this sounds natural in Portugal.

A ronda já começou? is a normal, natural European Portuguese sentence.

Depending on the situation, a speaker might also say:

• Já começou a ronda?
• A ronda já começou, não? in some conversational contexts, though this changes the tone
• A ronda ainda não começou? if they mean Hasn’t it started yet?

But the original sentence is perfectly fine and idiomatic in European Portuguese.