Mi madre prepara garbanzos con espinacas y ajo para la cena.

Prepara is the 3rd person singular present indicative of preparar.

It matches the subject mi madre because mi madre is she:

• yo preparo = I prepare
• tú preparas = you prepare
• mi madre prepara = my mother prepares

So the verb ending -a tells you it is he/she/it/you formal in the present tense.

It can mean either, depending on context.

In Spanish, the simple present often covers:

• habitual actions: My mother prepares...
• current actions: My mother is preparing...

If you want to make right now very explicit, Spanish often uses:

• Mi madre está preparando... = My mother is preparing...

So prepara is slightly broader than the English simple present.

In standard modern Spanish, a possessive like mi normally replaces the article.

So you say:

• mi madre = my mother

Not:

• la mi madre

If you remove the possessive, then you can use the article:

• la madre = the mother

This is different from English only in form, not meaning.

Yes. Spanish is a pro-drop language, so subject pronouns and even full subjects are often omitted when the context is clear.

You could say:

• Prepara garbanzos con espinacas y ajo para la cena.

That would mean something like:

• She prepares / is preparing chickpeas with spinach and garlic for dinner.

However, without context, it is less clear who she is, so mi madre is helpful in an isolated sentence.

Because garbanzos means chickpeas, which are countable items in Spanish.

So:

• un garbanzo = one chickpea
• garbanzos = chickpeas

In this sentence, the plural refers naturally to the food being prepared. It can also sound like the name of a dish, especially since garbanzos con espinacas is a very familiar combination in Spain.

This is a very common learner question.

In Spanish, espinacas is usually used in the plural when talking about spinach as food:

• las espinacas
• espinacas con garbanzos

English treats spinach as an uncountable mass noun, but Spanish commonly treats espinacas as a plural food noun.

You may also see espinaca in some contexts, especially when talking about the plant more generally or in technical usage, but in everyday cooking Spanish, espinacas is very normal.

Because here ajo means garlic as an ingredient or substance, not individual garlic cloves.

So:

• ajo = garlic, as a general ingredient
• ajos = garlic bulbs, cloves, or kinds of garlic, depending on context

This is similar to how English often uses garlic as a mass noun.

So con espinacas y ajo means with spinach and garlic, not necessarily with one garlic.

Spanish often omits articles with indefinite food items or ingredients, especially after verbs like:

• comprar
• comer
• preparar
• cocinar

So prepara garbanzos con espinacas y ajo sounds natural as:

• she prepares chickpeas with spinach and garlic

If you add an article, the meaning changes slightly:

• prepara los garbanzos = she prepares the chickpeas / a specific batch already known
• prepara unos garbanzos = she prepares some chickpeas / a chickpea dish
• prepara garbanzos = she prepares chickpeas, in a more general or ingredient-focused way

Because one con can introduce a whole list.

So:

• con espinacas y ajo = with spinach and garlic

You only repeat con if you want special emphasis or separation, but normally one con is enough.

This works just like in English:

• with spinach and garlic, not usually with spinach with garlic

Because para expresses purpose or intended use here.

So:

• para la cena = for dinner

It means the food is being prepared to be eaten at dinner.

Por would not normally work in this sentence. Por often expresses things like:

• cause
• reason
• movement through
• exchange
• duration

So for intended destination or purpose, para is the correct choice.

Spanish often uses the definite article with meal names when referring to the meal as an event:

• para la cena = for dinner
• después del desayuno = after breakfast
• antes de la comida = before lunch

English often drops the article, but Spanish frequently keeps it.

A very common alternative is:

• para cenar = for dinner / to eat for dinner

Both are natural, but para la cena sounds slightly more like for the dinner meal, while para cenar focuses more on to eat at dinnertime.

Sometimes, yes, but prepara is the most straightforward choice here.

• preparar = to prepare, make, get ready
• hacer = to make, do

In everyday Spanish, hacer can be used for making food:

• Mi madre hace paella.
• Mi madre hace una tortilla.

But prepara sounds especially natural when you are focusing on preparing a meal or dish. In this sentence, prepara is more precise.

Yes. Garbanzos con espinacas is a very well-known Spanish dish, especially associated with southern Spain, including Andalusia.

So to a learner of Spanish from Spain, this sentence sounds very natural culturally as well as grammatically. The combination of:

• garbanzos
• espinacas
• ajo

fits Spanish home cooking very well.

In most of Spain, the z in garbanzos is pronounced like the th in think.

A rough guide is:

• gar-BAN-thos

And:

• ajo has a strong Spanish j sound, like a throaty h
• espinacas is roughly es-pee-NA-kas

So in standard Peninsular Spanish, the sentence sounds approximately like:

• Mee MA-dreh preh-PA-rah gar-BAN-thos kon es-pee-NA-kas ee A-ho pa-ra la THE-na

That is only an approximation, but it helps with the main Spain-specific sounds.