Por la noche, la madre deja el chupete en la cuna junto a un peluche pequeño.

Por la noche is a very common Spanish time expression meaning at night / in the evening depending on context.

A learner may expect en la noche, because English uses in. But in Spanish, por la noche, por la mañana, and por la tarde are the standard expressions for talking about parts of the day in a general way.

Examples:

• Por la mañana estudio. = I study in the morning.
• Por la tarde trabajo. = I work in the afternoon.
• Por la noche descanso. = I rest at night.

So in this sentence, Por la noche sets the scene: it tells us when the action happens.

The comma is used because Por la noche is an introductory time phrase placed at the beginning of the sentence.

Spanish punctuation is a little flexible here, and you may sometimes see:

• Por la noche la madre deja...
• Por la noche, la madre deja...

Both are possible, but the comma is very natural because it separates the time phrase from the main clause and makes the sentence easier to read.

Deja is the third-person singular present indicative of dejar.

So:

• yo dejo = I leave
• tú dejas = you leave
• él/ella deja = he/she leaves

Here, la madre deja means:

• the mother leaves
• or, depending on context, the mother puts down

In beginner texts, the present tense is often used to describe routine actions or actions happening in a story.

Spanish often can omit the subject because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action:

• Deja el chupete... = She leaves the pacifier...

But here la madre is included for clarity or emphasis. It makes the sentence more explicit, especially in teaching material or storytelling.

So both are grammatically possible in many contexts:

• La madre deja el chupete...
• Deja el chupete...

Including la madre helps the learner clearly identify the subject.

Spanish uses definite articles (el, la, los, las) much more often than English does.

In English, we often say:

• her pacifier
• his crib
• the mother

In Spanish, if the context already makes ownership clear, the language often prefers the article:

• la madre
• el chupete
• la cuna

This does not mean the items are not possessed. It simply means Spanish does not always need to state the owner explicitly.

For example:

• Se lava las manos. = He washes his hands. Spanish says the hands, but English says his hands.

So el chupete and la cuna are normal Spanish choices here.

Here dejar means something like to leave or to put down and leave there.

That is important because dejar often implies:

• placing something somewhere
• and not taking it with you

So:

• La madre deja el chupete en la cuna suggests the mother puts the pacifier in the crib and leaves it there.

A related verb is poner, which means to put. That would focus more on the act of placing:

• La madre pone el chupete en la cuna.

Both can make sense, but dejar has the extra nuance of leaving it there.

In Spain, chupete is the standard word for pacifier.

It is a masculine noun:

• el chupete
• un chupete

In other Spanish-speaking countries, different words may be used, such as:

• chupón
• bobo
• tetina in some contexts, though that can also mean teat/nipple depending on usage

Since you are learning Spanish from Spain, chupete is exactly the natural word to learn.

En la cuna means in the crib.

The preposition en is very common and can mean:

• in
• on
• at

Its exact English translation depends on context.

Here, with cuna (crib/cot), English naturally says in the crib, so:

• en la cuna = in the crib

Spanish uses en where English may choose different prepositions.

Junto a means next to, beside, or alongside.

It is a fixed expression:

• junto a + noun

So:

• junto a un peluche pequeño = next to a small stuffed toy

The a is simply part of the expression. You should learn junto a as a unit.

A very similar alternative is:

• al lado de = next to / beside

So these are close in meaning:

• junto a un peluche pequeño
• al lado de un peluche pequeño

Peluche usually means a stuffed toy, soft toy, or plush toy.

In Spain, un peluche is a very common word for a toy like a teddy bear or other soft stuffed animal.

It is masculine:

• un peluche
• el peluche

So:

• un peluche pequeño = a small stuffed toy

In Spanish, adjectives often come after the noun, especially when they describe a straightforward, literal quality such as size, color, shape, etc.

So:

• un peluche pequeño = a small stuffed toy

That is the most neutral and natural order.

You can sometimes put adjectives before the noun, but that often changes the tone, emphasis, or style:

• un pequeño peluche can sound a bit more literary, emotional, or focused on the idea of smallness

For basic description, learners should expect:

• noun + adjective

Examples:

• una casa grande
• un coche rojo
• un peluche pequeño

Because this stuffed toy is being introduced as one item among possible others, not as a specific one already known to the listener.

Compare:

• un peluche pequeño = a small stuffed toy
• el peluche pequeño = the small stuffed toy

In the sentence, the toy has not been specifically identified before, so the indefinite article un is natural.

Meanwhile, el chupete and la cuna are presented as specific, known objects in the scene.

Yes, Spanish word order is flexible, though the original sentence is very natural.

Original:

• Por la noche, la madre deja el chupete en la cuna junto a un peluche pequeño.

Possible variations:

• La madre deja el chupete en la cuna por la noche, junto a un peluche pequeño.
• Por la noche, deja la madre el chupete en la cuna junto a un peluche pequeño.
  This last one is grammatical but much less natural in everyday modern Spanish.

The original order is good because it is clear:

1. time
2. subject
3. verb
4. object
5. location
6. extra location detail

It most naturally describes where the pacifier is placed: the mother leaves the pacifier in the crib, next to a small stuffed toy.

So the structure is understood as:

• She leaves the pacifier
• in the crib
• next to a small stuffed toy

In other words, the stuffed toy is in the crib too, and the pacifier is being left beside it.

The sentence is already correct and natural. But in everyday speech, Spaniards might also say things like:

• Por la noche, la madre deja el chupete en la cuna, al lado de un peluche pequeño.
• Por la noche, deja el chupete en la cuna junto a un peluche pequeño.

A speaker might drop la madre if the subject is already obvious from the context.

So the original sentence is perfectly fine, but spoken Spanish often removes information that is already clear.