A pranzo preparo un’insalata con avocado e pomodoro.

A pranzo is an idiomatic expression meaning at lunch / for lunch / at lunchtime, depending on context.

In Italian, meal expressions often use a with no article:

• a colazione = at breakfast
• a pranzo = at lunch
• a cena = at dinner

So a pranzo preparo un’insalata... means something like At lunch / For lunch, I make a salad...

You do not normally say al pranzo here. Il pranzo can mean the lunch meal in a more specific sense, but in this sentence Italian uses the fixed expression a pranzo.

Yes, often you can, but the nuance is slightly different.

• A pranzo focuses on the time/situation: at lunchtime
• Per pranzo focuses more on what is intended for lunch

So:

• A pranzo preparo un’insalata... = At lunchtime / For lunch, I make a salad...
• Per pranzo preparo un’insalata... = For lunch, I’m making a salad...

In many everyday situations, both are natural.

Preparo is the first person singular form of preparare in the present tense.

• preparare = to prepare
• io preparo = I prepare / I am preparing

Italian often leaves out the subject pronoun io because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

So:

• preparo by itself already means I prepare or I’m preparing

It can mean either, depending on context.

A pranzo preparo un’insalata con avocado e pomodoro could mean:

• a habit: At lunch I make a salad with avocado and tomato
• a current plan: For lunch I’m making a salad with avocado and tomato

Italian present tense often covers both simple present and present continuous ideas that English separates.

Because insalata is a feminine noun beginning with a vowel, and una becomes un’ before a vowel.

So:

• una pizza
• una mela
• un’insalata

The apostrophe shows that the final -a of una has been dropped.

This is very common in Italian:

• un’amica
• un’idea
• un’ora

Good question. In Italian:

• un for masculine singular has no apostrophe
• un’ is the shortened form of una, so it is feminine singular before a vowel

Examples:

• un avocado = a masculine noun
• un pomodoro = a masculine noun
• un’insalata = a feminine noun

So the apostrophe is not just about the next word starting with a vowel. It specifically shows that una has been shortened to un’.

Because in Italian, when listing ingredients in a general way, articles are often omitted.

So con avocado e pomodoro means with avocado and tomato in the sense of ingredients.

This is very natural in recipe-style or food-description language:

• pasta con tonno e pomodoro
• insalata con mozzarella e basilico
• panino con prosciutto e formaggio

If you add articles, it can sound more specific:

• con l’avocado e il pomodoro

That is also possible, but the version without articles is very common and often more natural for ingredients.

In food descriptions, Italian often uses the singular noun to refer to an ingredient in a general sense.

So:

• con pomodoro = with tomato, as an ingredient
• con avocado = with avocado

This does not necessarily mean there is only one tomato or one avocado. It just names the ingredient.

If you want to emphasize multiple actual pieces/items, you might use the plural:

• con pomodori e avocado
• con pomodori freschi

But in a simple ingredient list, the singular is very common.

Avocado is usually treated as masculine:

• l’avocado
• un avocado

Its plural is commonly:

• gli avocado

In everyday use, many speakers keep the word unchanged in the plural, since it is a loanword.

Yes. Italian word order is flexible.

The original sentence:

• A pranzo preparo un’insalata con avocado e pomodoro.

You could also say:

• Preparo un’insalata con avocado e pomodoro a pranzo.

Both are correct. Putting A pranzo first gives it a little more emphasis, like As for lunch... or At lunchtime...

Starting with the time expression is very common in Italian.

Preparo is enough.

Italian usually drops subject pronouns when they are not needed:

• preparo = I prepare
• mangi = you eat
• abbiamo = we have

You can say io preparo if you want emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• Io preparo un’insalata, tu fai la pasta.

But in a normal sentence, preparo on its own is the most natural choice.

Yes. Both are natural.

• preparare un’insalata = to prepare a salad
• fare un’insalata = to make a salad

Preparo may sound slightly more neutral or a bit more formal, while faccio is very common in everyday speech.

So these are both fine:

• A pranzo preparo un’insalata con avocado e pomodoro.
• A pranzo faccio un’insalata con avocado e pomodoro.