Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Hoy voy a picar verdura para el almuerzo. - Today I am going to chop vegetables for lunch.

To chop / mince food into small pieces:
- Voy a picar verdura. = I’m going to chop vegetables.
To snack / nibble (on food) in some contexts:
- Voy a picar algo. = I’m going to have a little snack.
To sting / bite (mosquitoes, insects):
- El mosquito me picó. = The mosquito bit/stung me.
To itch / to be spicy:
- Me pica la mano. = My hand itches.
- La salsa pica. = The sauce is spicy (it “burns”).

In Hoy voy a picar verdura para el almuerzo, picar clearly means to chop (into small pieces), because the object is verdura and the context is preparing lunch.

Why do we say voy a picar instead of using a future tense like picaré?

Voy a picar is the periphrastic future: ir + a + infinitive, very similar to English “going to + verb”.

Hoy voy a picar verdura.
= Today I’m going to chop vegetables.

In everyday Latin American Spanish:

Voy a picar is much more common in speech than picaré for near or planned future.
Picaré is grammatically correct but can sound:
- more formal, or
- more distant / less immediately planned.

So this mirrors English quite well:

I will chop vegetables (more neutral / formal / distant).
I’m going to chop vegetables (more natural for a specific plan).

That’s why voy a picar is used here.

How does the structure ir + a + infinitive work in general?

Pattern:

[conjugated ir] + a + [infinitive] = going to [verb]

Examples with picar:

Yo voy a picar. = I’m going to chop.
Tú vas a picar. = You’re going to chop.
Él / ella va a picar. = He / she is going to chop.
Nosotros vamos a picar. = We’re going to chop.
Ustedes / ellos van a picar. = You all / they are going to chop.

In the sentence:

voy = I go / I’m going
a = to
picar = (to) chop

So voy a picar = I’m going to chop (future intention).

Why is it verdura (singular, no article) instead of las verduras or some vegetables?

In Spanish, some food words are often used as mass nouns (like “meat” or “bread” in English), especially when speaking generally:

Carne (meat)
Pan (bread)
Verdura (vegetable/veg)

So:

Voy a picar verdura.
= I’m going to chop (some) vegetables.
The “some” is understood, not said.

Compare:

Comemos carne. = We eat meat.
Compré pan. = I bought bread.
Voy a picar verdura. = I’m going to chop vegetables.

If you say las verduras, you are usually talking about specific vegetables already known in context:

Voy a picar las verduras que compramos.
= I’m going to chop the vegetables we bought.

So verdura (singular, no article) is like saying “veg” in a general, non-count way.

What’s the difference between verdura and vegetales in Latin America?

Both can refer to vegetables, but there are nuances and regional preferences:

Verdura
- Very common in everyday speech.
- Often means leafy greens and general vegetables.
Vegetales
- Also common, sometimes sounds a bit more formal or technical, or like the whole food group in a nutritional context:
  - Come más vegetales. = Eat more vegetables.

Usage varies by country. In many parts of Latin America, for daily cooking talk:

Picar verdura sounds extremely natural.
Picar vegetales is understandable and fine, just slightly different in feel.

Why is it para el almuerzo and not por el almuerzo? What’s the difference?

Here, para expresses purpose / goal:

para el almuerzo = for lunch, for the purpose of lunch.

Por usually indicates reason, cause, exchange, movement through, etc., not purpose in this sense.

Compare:

Pico verdura para el almuerzo.
= I chop vegetables for lunch (so we can eat them at lunch).
Trabajo por dinero.
= I work for money (because of money / in exchange for money).

So in this context, only para el almuerzo is natural, because you’re preparing the vegetables with the goal of using them at lunch.

Why do we say el almuerzo with el? Can we say para almuerzo without the article?

In Spanish, meals are very often used with the definite article:

el desayuno = breakfast
el almuerzo = lunch (though in some countries it can be a mid‑morning meal)
la cena = dinner

Common patterns:

Voy a preparar el almuerzo. = I’m going to prepare lunch.
Nos vemos en el almuerzo. = See you at lunch.

Para almuerzo can appear in some fixed or technical expressions, but para el almuerzo is the normal, natural way to say “for lunch” in everyday speech.

So, para el almuerzo is the best form here.

Where can I put hoy in this sentence? Is Hoy voy a picar… the only correct order?

You have several correct options; word order is flexible. All of these are valid:

Hoy voy a picar verdura para el almuerzo.
Voy a picar verdura para el almuerzo hoy.
Hoy, voy a picar verdura para el almuerzo. (comma optional)

Differences:

Hoy voy a…
- Very common and neutral.
- Slight emphasis on “today” as the time frame.
Voy a picar… hoy.
- Also fine; “hoy” just comes at the end, like in English.

So you can move hoy around a bit without changing the basic meaning.

Can I say Yo hoy voy a picar verdura…? When do I use yo?

Yes, you can say:

Yo hoy voy a picar verdura para el almuerzo.

But in Spanish, the subject pronoun yo is usually omitted, because the verb ending (voy) already shows it’s “I”.

You include yo when you want emphasis or contrast:

Yo voy a picar verdura y tú vas a lavar los platos.
= I am going to chop vegetables and you are going to wash the dishes.

In the neutral sentence with no contrast, the most natural form is:

Hoy voy a picar verdura para el almuerzo. (no yo)

If picar can mean “spicy” or “to itch,” how do I know it means “to chop” here?

You use context and object.

With body parts or skin sensations:
- Me pica la nariz. = My nose itches.
With food as the subject:
- Este chile pica mucho. = This chili pepper is very spicy.
With food as the object and a person as the subject:
- Voy a picar verdura. = I’m going to chop vegetables.
  (People don’t “itch” vegetables; they chop them.)

So in voy a picar verdura, a person is doing something to the vegetables in a kitchen context; the natural meaning is “to chop.”

Could I say cortar instead of picar? Is there any difference?

You can say:

Hoy voy a cortar verdura para el almuerzo.

It’s correct and understandable, but there is a nuance:

Cortar = to cut (general).
- Could be big pieces, slices, or small – it’s vague.
Picar = to chop / mince / dice into small pieces, more specific.

So:

Cortar verdura: just “cut the vegetables.”
Picar verdura: “chop the vegetables small” (for a sauce, stew, salad, etc.).

In many recipes and kitchen talk, picar is the more precise, natural verb when you mean fine chopping.

How would I say “I’m going to chop it” if we already know we’re talking about the vegetables?

You would use a direct object pronoun that matches las verduras (feminine plural):

Two common word orders (both correct):

Pronoun before the conjugated verb:
- Las voy a picar. = I’m going to chop them.
Pronoun attached to the infinitive:
- Voy a picarlas. = I’m going to chop them.

Both are very natural in Latin American Spanish.

If the noun were singular feminine (la verdura as a specific batch/set):

La voy a picar. / Voy a picarla. = I’m going to chop it.

Why is it picar verdura and not picar la verdura in this sentence?

You’d use:

picar verdura (no article) when speaking generically or about an unspecified amount:
- Voy a picar verdura. = I’m going to chop (some) vegetables.

You’d use:

picar la verdura when referring to specific vegetables already known in the conversation:
- ¿Ya lavaste la verdura?
  Sí, ahora voy a picar la verdura.
  = Did you already wash the vegetables?
  Yes, now I’m going to chop the vegetables (we just mentioned).

In the isolated sentence, picar verdura sounds more like “I’m going to chop some vegetables (in general)”, which is why it appears without la.