Me da pereza cocinar después del trabajo, pero aun así intento preparar algo sano.

It is a very common Spanish pattern: dar + noun + indirect object pronoun.

So me da pereza literally looks like it gives me laziness, but in natural English it means something like I can’t be bothered, I feel too lazy, or I’m not in the mood.

In Spain, me da pereza is extremely common in everyday speech.

You will see the same structure with other nouns too:

• Me da miedo = It scares me / It gives me fear
• Me da vergüenza = It embarrasses me
• Me da rabia = It annoys me / It makes me angry

So the sentence is using a very Spanish way of expressing feelings or reactions.

Because me is the indirect object pronoun required by dar.

The verb dar means to give, so the structure is:

• something gives
• to someone
• a feeling/reaction

Here, pereza is what is being “given,” and me means to me.

So grammatically:

• Me = to me
• da = gives
• pereza = laziness / reluctance

You could add a mí for emphasis:

• A mí me da pereza cocinar

But yo da pereza is not possible, because yo is a subject pronoun, and here you need an indirect object pronoun.

Because Spanish often uses the infinitive to talk about an action in a general way, like cooking or to cook.

In me da pereza cocinar, the idea is:

• Cooking gives me laziness
• more naturally: I feel too lazy to cook

After expressions like dar pereza, the infinitive is very common:

• Me da pereza salir = I can’t be bothered to go out
• Me da pereza estudiar = I feel too lazy to study

The infinitive is not conjugated because it is not the main verb of a clause with its own subject; it is just naming the activity.

Yes. That is also correct.

Both are grammatical:

• Me da pereza cocinar
• Cocinar me da pereza

The difference is mostly one of focus and style.

• Me da pereza cocinar is the more natural, everyday order.
• Cocinar me da pereza puts more emphasis on cooking itself.

So in normal conversation, the version in your sentence sounds very natural.

Because de + el contracts to del.

So:

• de + el trabajo → del trabajo

This contraction is mandatory in standard Spanish, except when el is part of a proper name, such as:

• de El Escorial

But in ordinary phrases like después del trabajo, you must use del.

Both are possible, but they are not exactly the same.

• después del trabajo = after work / after the job / after the workday
• después de trabajar = after working

The version with trabajo refers more to the period of work as a block in your day. It sounds very natural when talking about your routine.

The version with trabajar focuses more directly on the action of working.

So:

• Me da pereza cocinar después del trabajo = I feel too lazy to cook after work
• Me da pereza cocinar después de trabajar = I feel too lazy to cook after working

Both are good, but después del trabajo is especially common for daily-life situations.

Aun así means even so, still, or nevertheless.

It introduces a contrast with what came before:

• Me da pereza cocinar después del trabajo
• pero aun así intento preparar algo sano

So the idea is:

• I don’t feel like cooking after work,
• but even so I still try to make something healthy.

It is a very natural connector when you want to say that the second part happens despite the first.

No. It is perfectly natural.

Both words signal contrast, but they do slightly different jobs:

• pero = but
• aun así = even so / nevertheless

Using them together strengthens the contrast:

• ..., pero aun así ... = ..., but even so ...

This is very common in Spanish and sounds completely normal.

In this sentence, aun así without an accent is the usual spelling.

A very useful rule is:

• aún with an accent often means still / yet and can usually be replaced by todavía
• aun without an accent often means even / including / despite

Here, aun así means even so, not still so, so aun without an accent fits the usual rule.

You may sometimes see variation in real-life writing, but for learners, aun así is the safest choice here.

Because intentar is followed directly by an infinitive.

So the correct pattern is:

• intentar + infinitive

Examples:

• Intento dormir más = I try to sleep more
• Intento comer mejor = I try to eat better
• Intento preparar algo sano = I try to prepare something healthy

English speakers sometimes want to insert to, de, or a, but Spanish does not use a preposition here.

A similar verb is tratar de:

• Trato de preparar algo sano

That is also correct, but with intentar, you normally just use the infinitive directly.

Algo means something, and after words like algo, the adjective usually appears in the masculine singular form by default.

So:

• algo sano = something healthy
• algo bueno = something good
• algo raro = something strange

This does not mean the thing itself is necessarily masculine; it is just the normal grammatical pattern after algo.

You would not usually say algo sana here.

Also, sano is a very natural word in Spain for healthy in the sense of food or lifestyle:

• comida sana = healthy food
• algo sano = something healthy

It most naturally describes a general habit or repeated situation.

• Me da pereza cocinar después del trabajo = As a general rule, I feel too lazy to cook after work
• intento preparar algo sano = I try to make something healthy

Spanish present tense often covers what English expresses with the simple present for habits:

• Después del trabajo me da pereza cocinar = After work, I feel too lazy to cook
• Pero aun así intento... = But even so, I try...

So the sentence sounds like a regular pattern in someone’s life, not just one specific day.