A mi sobrina le gusta alimentar al pájaro antes de ir a la escuela.

Yes, they both refer to the same person, and that is completely normal with gustar.

In A mi sobrina le gusta...:

• A mi sobrina = to my niece
• le = to her

Spanish often uses this kind of double marking with indirect objects:

• the noun phrase names the person clearly
• the pronoun repeats it

This is especially common with gustar and similar verbs.

So:

• A mi sobrina le gusta... = My niece likes...
• literally: To my niece, it is pleasing...

The A mi sobrina part can clarify who you mean, while le is the normal pronoun the verb expects.

Because gustar does not work like the English verb to like.

In English:

• My niece likes feeding the bird

In Spanish, gustar is closer to:

• Feeding the bird is pleasing to my niece

So the thing being liked is the grammatical subject of gustar.

Here, the thing being liked is:

• alimentar al pájaro antes de ir a la escuela

That whole action is treated as a singular idea, so Spanish uses:

• gusta = singular

If the thing liked were plural, you would usually use gustan:

• A mi sobrina le gustan los libros.

So gustar is not the same structure as English like.

Because after gustar, Spanish often uses an infinitive to express liking to do something.

Examples:

• Me gusta leer. = I like reading / I like to read.
• Le gusta cantar. = She likes singing / She likes to sing.
• A mi sobrina le gusta alimentar al pájaro... = My niece likes feeding the bird...

So alimentar is not conjugated because it is acting like feeding or to feed in English.

Because al is the contraction of a + el.

The verb alimentar often takes a direct object:

• alimentar al pájaro = to feed the bird

Here, the a is the personal a, which is often used before specific animate beings, including animals when they are treated as individual creatures.

So:

• a + el pájaro → al pájaro

This contraction is mandatory.

Compare:

• Veo el árbol. = I see the tree.
• Veo al perro. = I see the dog.

With animals, the personal a is common when the animal is specific.

It means before going to school or before she goes to school.

The structure is:

• antes de
  • infinitive

This is a very common Spanish pattern when the subject is understood from context.

Examples:

• antes de comer = before eating
• antes de salir = before leaving
• antes de ir a la escuela = before going to school

Spanish often uses the infinitive here where English might use either:

• before going to school or
• before she goes to school

The understood subject is normally the same person already being talked about: mi sobrina.

So the sentence naturally means that your niece likes feeding the bird before she goes to school.

Spanish often leaves the subject unspoken when it is obvious from context.

If the subject were different, Spanish would usually make that clearer:

• ...antes de que su madre la lleve a la escuela
• ...antes de que yo vaya a la escuela

But in your sentence, the default reading is that the niece is the one going to school.

Because in Spanish, possessives like mi, tu, su, nuestro usually replace the article.

So you say:

• mi sobrina = my niece
• not la mi sobrina

This is standard modern Spanish.

Compare:

• mi hermano
• tu casa
• su coche

An article can appear in some older, literary, or regional styles, but not in normal standard usage here.

Because with gustar, the person who experiences the liking is usually expressed as an indirect object, introduced by a.

So:

• A mi sobrina le gusta...

This is the normal pattern.

If you said:

• Mi sobrina gusta... that would sound wrong for the meaning my niece likes...

That is because gustar does not usually mean to like in the same grammatical way English does.

A more literal breakdown is:

• A mi sobrina = to my niece
• le gusta = it pleases her

So starting with A mi sobrina fits the grammar of gustar.

Yes. Spanish word order is flexible.

These are all possible, depending on emphasis:

• A mi sobrina le gusta alimentar al pájaro antes de ir a la escuela.
• Le gusta alimentar al pájaro antes de ir a la escuela a mi sobrina.
• Alimentar al pájaro antes de ir a la escuela le gusta a mi sobrina.

The first version is the most natural and clear for most learners.

Spanish often moves parts of the sentence around for emphasis, but the basic meaning stays the same.

Spanish often uses the definite article with places and institutions where English may or may not use one.

So:

• ir a la escuela = to go to school

This is very normal Spanish.

You will also hear:

• ir al colegio

In Spain, colegio is often very common for school, especially primary school, but escuela is also perfectly understandable and correct.

So a la escuela is grammatically fine.

Because the stress falls on the first syllable: PÁ-ja-ro.

Without the accent, normal spelling rules would make it sound more like pa-JA-ro, which would be wrong.

The accent mark shows the correct stress:

• pájaro

This is useful to notice because correct stress is an important part of sounding natural in Spanish.

In this sentence, sobrina means niece.

It is the feminine form of:

• sobrino = nephew
• sobrina = niece

So:

• mi sobrina = my niece

There is no hidden grammatical meaning here; it is just the family word.

Alimentar is correct and clear, and it means to feed.

However, in everyday conversation, many speakers might more naturally say:

• dar de comer al pájaro

So both are possible:

• A mi sobrina le gusta alimentar al pájaro...
• A mi sobrina le gusta dar de comer al pájaro...

The first sounds a bit more neutral or formal. The second can sound more everyday and idiomatic.

Both are good Spanish.

Yes. Le can mean:

• to him
• to her
• to you (formal singular)

So by itself, le gusta is ambiguous.

That is one reason Spanish often adds the clarifying phrase:

• A mi sobrina le gusta...

Now it is clear that le refers to my niece, so the meaning is she likes.

Without that phrase, context would have to tell you who le refers to.