Ce soir, Paul prépare un steak avec des frites pour les enfants.

Ce soir means this evening or tonight. French often puts a time expression at the beginning of the sentence to set the scene first.

So:

• Ce soir, Paul prépare... = Tonight, Paul is preparing...

You could also put it later:

• Paul prépare un steak avec des frites ce soir.

Both are correct. Starting with Ce soir just gives a little more emphasis to the time.

Ce soir is the normal everyday way to say this evening / tonight.

• ce soir = tonight / this evening
• ce soir-là = that evening (referring to a specific evening in the past or in a story)
• dans la soirée = later in the evening / during the evening

So in this sentence, ce soir is the simple and natural choice.

Prépare is the verb préparer in the present tense.

The subject is Paul, which is he, so French uses the il/elle/on form:

• je prépare
• tu prépares
• il/elle prépare
• nous préparons
• vous préparez
• ils/elles préparent

So Paul prépare means Paul prepares / Paul is preparing.

In French, the simple present can often translate into either English prepares or is preparing, depending on context.

The verb is spelled préparer, with an acute accent in the first syllable: pré-.

That accent is part of the normal spelling of the word. It helps show the pronunciation. In prépare, the first é stays, while the later e changes in sound depending on the form.

So you simply need to learn the verb as:

• préparer = to prepare

Un steak means a steak: one individual steak.

French uses un / une for a singular countable item:

• un steak = a steak
• une pomme = an apple

By contrast, du steak would mean some steak or steak as an uncountable substance, more like meat in general rather than one separate steak.

So:

• Paul prépare un steak = Paul is preparing one steak
• Paul prépare du steak = Paul is preparing some steak / steak meat

Des frites means some fries. It is the plural indefinite article.

• une frite = a fry
• des frites = some fries

If the sentence said les frites, that would mean the fries, referring to specific fries already known in the conversation.

So:

• avec des frites = with some fries
• avec les frites = with the fries

In this sentence, the meal is being introduced for the first time, so des frites is natural.

English often says with fries without any article. French usually needs an article where English does not.

That is very common:

• with fries → avec des frites
• I eat bread → Je mange du pain
• She bought apples → Elle a acheté des pommes

So even though English can omit the article, French usually cannot.

Not necessarily. Avec simply means with.

In a food sentence like this, un steak avec des frites usually means a steak served with fries or a steak and fries meal.

It does not have to mean that everything is cooked in the same pan or at the same moment. It just tells you what comes with the steak.

In normal reading, pour les enfants applies to the whole idea: Paul is preparing the meal for the children.

So the most natural understanding is:

• Paul is preparing a steak with fries, and the meal is for the children.

French often lets a phrase like pour les enfants come at the end of the sentence, where it modifies the overall action.

Les enfants means the children, so it usually refers to children who are already known from context: for example, Paul’s children, the family’s children, or some specific children already mentioned.

If you said pour des enfants, that would mean for some children, which sounds less specific.

So:

• pour les enfants = for the children
• pour des enfants = for some children

Because pour and à do different jobs.

• pour = for
• à = to / at

Here the idea is that the meal is intended for the children, so pour is correct.

• Il prépare le repas pour les enfants. = He is preparing the meal for the children.

If you used à, it would suggest a different relationship and would not sound natural here.

Yes, it is in the present tense: Paul prépare.

In French, the present tense often covers both meanings:

• Paul prepares a steak...
• Paul is preparing a steak...

The exact English translation depends on context. With Ce soir, English often prefers is preparing or is making, because it sounds more natural in many situations.

Yes. French allows some flexibility, especially with time expressions.

For example:

• Ce soir, Paul prépare un steak avec des frites pour les enfants.
• Paul prépare un steak avec des frites pour les enfants ce soir.

Both are correct.

However, the original version sounds very natural because it begins with the time phrase, then gives the subject and action. That is a very common French pattern.