Вообще-то моя сестра по-прежнему предпочитает чай, а не кофе, хотя порой пьёт и какао.

Вообще-то is a conversational word that often means actually, really, or as a matter of fact.

In this sentence, it adds a mild corrective or clarifying tone, something like:

• Actually, my sister still prefers tea...
• As a matter of fact, my sister still prefers tea...

It is very common in spoken Russian. Depending on tone, it can sound neutral, slightly corrective, or a little defensive.

Моя is the feminine singular form of мой because сестра is feminine.

Russian possessive words agree with the noun they describe:

• мой брат = my brother
• моя сестра = my sister
• моё письмо = my letter
• мои друзья = my friends

So моя сестра is simply normal agreement: feminine singular + feminine singular noun.

По-прежнему means still, as before, or the same as before.

So:

• по-прежнему предпочитает чай = still prefers tea

It is written with a hyphen because that is just the standard spelling of this adverb. Russian has a number of adverbs formed with по- that are hyphenated.

This word usually suggests continuity from an earlier situation:

• she preferred tea before
• she continues to prefer tea now

Russian present tense is often used for general habits, preferences, and ongoing facts, just like English:

• Она любит чай. = She likes tea.
• Он часто читает. = He reads often / He often reads.
• Моя сестра предпочитает чай. = My sister prefers tea.

Here предпочитает does not mean she is choosing tea right this second. It means this is her general preference.

The dictionary form is предпочитать = to prefer.

Предпочитает means he/she prefers.

This is an imperfective verb, which makes sense here because the sentence describes an ongoing preference, not a one-time completed action.

Conjugation:

• я предпочитаю
• ты предпочитаешь
• он/она предпочитает
• мы предпочитаем
• вы предпочитаете
• они предпочитают

They are objects, but in this sentence their accusative forms happen to look the same as their dictionary forms.

1. чай

Чай is a masculine inanimate noun. For masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative usually looks like the nominative:

• чай → чай

2. кофе

Кофе is usually treated as masculine, but it is indeclinable in modern Russian, so its form does not change:

• кофе → кофе

3. какао

Какао is an indeclinable noun too, so again the form stays the same:

• какао → какао

So even though all three are direct objects, you do not see a visible ending change here.

А не is very common when correcting or contrasting two alternatives:

• чай, а не кофе = tea, not coffee

Here а sets up a contrast between two options, and не negates the second one.

This pattern is extremely common:

• Он студент, а не школьник. = He is a university student, not a school student.
• Нужен синий, а не зелёный. = We need blue, not green.

Но often means but, but а не is the more natural choice for X, not Y contrasts like this.

Хотя means although or though.

It introduces a clause that partially contrasts with the main idea:

• Моя сестра по-прежнему предпочитает чай, а не кофе
  main statement
• хотя порой пьёт и какао
  contrasting extra information

So the structure is:

• She still prefers tea, not coffee, although sometimes she also drinks cocoa.

The idea is: her main preference is tea, but that does not mean she never drinks anything else.

Порой means sometimes, at times, or from time to time.

It is very close to иногда. In many contexts they can be translated the same way. But порой can sound a little more literary or stylistically marked than very neutral иногда.

Examples:

• Иногда = sometimes
• Порой = sometimes / at times

In this sentence, порой fits well and sounds natural.

Yes. In many Russian texts, ё is often written as е, so you may see пьет. But the pronunciation is still пьёт.

For learners, it is very helpful to keep ё because it shows the correct sound and stress.

The verb is пить = to drink.

Present tense:

• я пью
• ты пьёшь
• он/она пьёт
• мы пьём
• вы пьёте
• они пьют

So пьёт = drinks.

Here и means also or too.

So:

• пьёт и какао = also drinks cocoa

This и adds an extra item to the picture:

• she prefers tea rather than coffee,
• but she also drinks cocoa sometimes.

Russian often uses и in places where English would use also, too, or even, depending on context.

Compare:

• Она пьёт чай. = She drinks tea.
• Она пьёт и какао. = She also drinks cocoa.

Russian word order is flexible, and the position of и helps show what is being added or emphasized.

• пьёт и какао focuses on cocoa as the extra thing
• it is roughly drinks cocoa too / also drinks cocoa

If you moved words around, the emphasis could shift slightly. In this sentence, placing и right before какао makes that noun the added element.

Not completely. Russian word order is flexible, but this version is natural and well-balanced.

Current order: Вообще-то моя сестра по-прежнему предпочитает чай, а не кофе, хотя порой пьёт и какао.

What the order does:

• Вообще-то sets the tone right away
• моя сестра introduces the subject
• по-прежнему modifies предпочитает
• чай, а не кофе gives the main contrast
• хотя... adds a concession
• и какао highlights cocoa as an additional drink

You could rearrange parts, but the emphasis would change. For example:

• Хотя моя сестра порой пьёт и какао, вообще-то она по-прежнему предпочитает чай, а не кофе.

That version is also grammatical, but it sounds more marked and differently focused.

Not necessarily.

It means that, in general, she prefers tea rather than coffee. Preference is not the same as exclusive behavior.

In fact, the second part of the sentence shows exactly that kind of nuance:

• her main preference is tea
• but she may drink something else sometimes

So предпочитает чай, а не кофе is about preference, not an absolute ban on coffee.

Yes. The sentence sounds quite natural and slightly conversational, mainly because of words like:

• вообще-то = actually / as a matter of fact
• по-прежнему = still
• порой = sometimes
• и before какао = also

So it does not sound like a dry textbook sentence. It sounds more like a real comment someone might make while clarifying another person's habits or preferences.