Mi hermana echa un puñado de arroz en la olla y luego prepara otra rebanada de pan.

Echa comes from the verb echar. In this sentence, it means adds, puts in, or throws in.

So Mi hermana echa un puñado de arroz en la olla means that she adds/puts a handful of rice into the pot.

A few useful points:

• echar is a very common verb in Spanish
• its meaning depends a lot on context
• here it does not mean literally to throw in a dramatic way; it just means to put/add

Present tense of echar:

• yo echo
• tú echas
• él/ella echa
• nosotros echamos
• vosotros echáis
• ellos echan

So echa matches mi hermana because she is él/ella/usted form.

Because the subject is mi hermana, which is third person singular.

• yo echo = I add / I put in
• mi hermana echa = my sister adds / puts in

Even though echo is also a real Spanish word as a noun meaning fact, here we are dealing with the verb echar, so the correct form is echa.

Un puñado de arroz means a handful of rice.

This is a very common Spanish structure:

• un puñado de arroz = a handful of rice
• una taza de café = a cup of coffee
• una rebanada de pan = a slice of bread

So the pattern is:

quantity/container/unit + de + noun

Here:

• un puñado = a handful
• de arroz = of rice

Because Spanish usually uses de when one noun measures, contains, or defines another noun.

Examples:

• un vaso de agua = a glass of water
• una cucharada de azúcar = a spoonful of sugar
• una rebanada de pan = a slice of bread
• un puñado de arroz = a handful of rice

So de here works like of in English.

Because en is used for location or placement inside something.

• en la olla = in the pot
• a la olla would suggest movement to the pot, which is not the best choice here

Since the rice ends up inside the pot, en la olla is the natural option.

Compare:

• Pone el libro en la mesa = He puts the book on the table
• Va a la cocina = He goes to the kitchen

Spanish often uses the definite article more regularly than English, especially when talking about a specific object already understood from context.

So:

• en la olla = in the pot

It sounds natural because the speaker assumes we know which pot is being used.

Leaving out the article here would usually sound incomplete or less natural.

In this sentence, luego means then or afterwards.

• luego = then / later / afterwards
• después = afterwards / later

In many everyday contexts, they are very similar and often interchangeable.

So:

• y luego prepara...
• y después prepara...

Both are natural.

In Spain, luego is very common in speech. Depending on context, luego can also sometimes mean later rather than immediately then, but here it simply links one action to the next.

Because otra means another or other, and it agrees with the feminine noun rebanada.

Breakdown:

• rebanada = slice
• otra rebanada = another slice
• de pan = of bread

So otra rebanada de pan means there is already one slice implied, and now she prepares another one.

Because rebanada is a feminine noun.

In Spanish, adjectives and determiners must agree with the noun:

• otro libro = another book
• otra rebanada = another slice

Here:

• rebanada ends in -a and is feminine
• so the correct form is otra

Rebanada means slice, especially for things like bread.

Examples:

• una rebanada de pan = a slice of bread
• una rebanada de jamón = a slice of ham

But Spanish has other words depending on the food and context:

• trozo = piece
• rodaja = round slice, often for tomatoes, lemons, onions
• loncha = thin slice, often for ham or cheese
• rebanada = slice, especially bread

So rebanada de pan is the natural choice here.

Because possessives like mi, tu, su, nuestro, etc. normally replace the article.

So Spanish says:

• mi hermana = my sister

Not:

• la mi hermana in standard modern Spanish

This is the normal pattern:

• mi casa = my house
• tu amigo = your friend
• nuestra madre = our mother

Because Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Here:

• echa already tells us it is he/she/you formal
• and the noun mi hermana makes it completely clear

So Spanish naturally says:

• Mi hermana echa... y luego prepara...

Instead of:

• Mi hermana ella echa...

Using ella here would usually sound unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Because in Spanish, just like in English, you do not need to repeat the subject if it stays the same.

So:

• Mi hermana echa un puñado de arroz en la olla y luego prepara otra rebanada de pan.

The subject of both verbs is still mi hermana.

Repeating it would be grammatical but less natural unless you want emphasis:

• Mi hermana echa... y mi hermana luego prepara...

That sounds repetitive.

Both can be possible, but they are not always exactly the same.

• echar arroz en la olla = to add/put rice into the pot
• poner arroz en la olla = to put rice in the pot

In cooking, echar is very common for adding ingredients. It often sounds especially natural when you mean to add in an ingredient as part of a recipe.

So in this sentence, echa is a very natural cooking verb.

This is the normal Spanish order:

subject + verb + object + place

So:

• Mi hermana = subject
• echa = verb
• un puñado de arroz = direct object
• en la olla = location/destination

This is straightforward and neutral.

You could change the order for emphasis, but the original is the most standard:

• Mi hermana echa un puñado de arroz en la olla.

Yes. Preparar is a broad verb, just like to prepare in English.

It can mean:

• to get ready
• to make
• to prepare
• to fix up

So prepara otra rebanada de pan does not tell us exactly what she does to the slice. It just says she prepares it in some way.

Depending on context, that could mean:

• she cuts another slice
• she gets another slice ready to serve
• she prepares it for eating
• she uses it for a dish

Spanish often leaves that kind of detail unstated if the context already makes it clear.

Yes, it could be understood either way depending on context.

The present tense in Spanish can describe:

• a habitual action: My sister adds a handful of rice...
• a step in a recipe or process
• a vivid narration of what is happening

So this sentence could fit:

• a recipe explanation
• a description of what someone usually does
• a live narration of actions

Without more context, the present tense is simply neutral and natural.

Here arroz is treated like an uncountable substance noun, much like rice in English.

That is why Spanish uses a measure phrase:

• un puñado de arroz = a handful of rice

You normally would not count individual grains in this kind of sentence. Spanish treats arroz as the substance, not as separate units.