Mi abuelo cubano pedalea despacio.

In Spanish, most descriptive adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• abuelo cubano = Cuban grandfather

This is the normal word order in Spanish. English often puts adjectives before the noun, but Spanish usually puts them after.

You can sometimes move adjectives before the noun in Spanish, but that often changes the tone or emphasis. In this sentence, abuelo cubano is the straightforward, neutral order.

Here, cubano is an adjective describing abuelo.

It tells us what kind of grandfather he is:

• abuelo = grandfather
• cubano = Cuban

Because it is an adjective, it has to agree with the noun in gender and number:

• abuelo cubano = Cuban grandfather
• abuela cubana = Cuban grandmother
• abuelos cubanos = Cuban grandparents / grandfathers
• abuelas cubanas = Cuban grandmothers

Because cubano is directly modifying the noun abuelo.

Compare these:

• Mi abuelo cubano... = My Cuban grandfather...
• Mi abuelo es cubano. = My grandfather is Cuban.

Both are correct, but they mean slightly different things structurally:

• In Mi abuelo cubano, cubano is part of the noun phrase.
• In Mi abuelo es cubano, cubano comes after the verb ser and is part of the predicate.

Pedalea is the third-person singular present tense of pedalear.

So it matches mi abuelo:

• yo pedaleo = I pedal / I ride
• tú pedaleas = you pedal
• él/ella pedalea = he/she pedals
• mi abuelo pedalea = my grandfather pedals

In natural English, this could be translated in different ways depending on context:

• pedals
• cycles
• is pedaling
• is riding a bike

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

So instead of saying:

• Él pedalea despacio

Spanish can simply say:

• Pedalea despacio

In your sentence, the subject is already clearly stated as Mi abuelo cubano, so adding él would usually be unnecessary.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Spanish present tense often covers both:

• habitual action: My Cuban grandfather pedals slowly
• action happening now: My Cuban grandfather is pedaling slowly

If you want to make the right now meaning extra clear, Spanish can also use:

• Mi abuelo cubano está pedaleando despacio.

But the simple present pedalea is very normal.

Despacio is an adverb.

It modifies the verb pedalea and tells us how he pedals:

• pedalea despacio = pedals slowly

Unlike adjectives, adverbs do not change for gender or number. So despacio stays the same no matter who is doing the action.

Both can mean slowly, but despacio is usually more common and conversational.

• despacio = slowly, at a slow pace
• lentamente = slowly, more formal or more explicitly adverbial

In everyday speech, despacio is very natural. A learner will hear it a lot.

Mi is a possessive adjective meaning my.

So:

• mi abuelo = my grandfather

In Spanish, possessives like mi, tu, su, nuestro normally come directly before the noun.

Also, with close family members, Spanish often uses the possessive instead of an article when saying whose family member it is:

• mi abuelo
• tu hermana
• su madre

No. Mi does not change for masculine vs. feminine singular nouns.

So you get:

• mi abuelo = my grandfather
• mi abuela = my grandmother

It only changes in the plural:

• mis abuelos
• mis abuelas

Yes, often it can.

The verb pedalear literally focuses on pedaling, but in many contexts English would naturally say:

• rides a bike
• cycles
• is cycling

So depending on the situation, all of these could work as natural translations.

Mostly yes, but the original order is the most neutral.

Normal order:

• Mi abuelo cubano pedalea despacio.

You might also hear other orders for emphasis, such as:

• Mi abuelo cubano despacio pedalea. — possible, but less natural in everyday speech
• Despacio pedalea mi abuelo cubano. — poetic or emphatic

For learners, the basic pattern is best:

subject + verb + adverb

You would change the words that need gender agreement:

• Mi abuela cubana pedalea despacio.

Changes:

• abuelo → abuela
• cubano → cubana

But these stay the same:

• mi
• pedalea
• despacio

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

• pe-da-LE-a

The stress falls on lea.

A rough English-friendly guide could be:

• peh-dah-LAY-ah

And the whole sentence, roughly:

• Mee ah-BWEH-lo koo-BAH-no peh-dah-LAY-ah deh-SPAH-syo

Exact pronunciation varies a bit by region, but that will get you close.

Yes, but it is not exactly the same structure or emphasis.

• Mi abuelo cubano pedalea despacio. = My Cuban grandfather pedals slowly.
• Mi abuelo cubano va despacio en bicicleta. = My Cuban grandfather goes slowly on a bicycle.

The original sentence focuses on the action of pedaling.
The alternative focuses more generally on going slowly by bike.

Both can be natural, but pedalea despacio is more direct.