Using "a" with verbs
When you use sentences with double verbs, do you use the word "a" to indicate 'to do something' such as, "Necesito a hablar con mi amigo" or would you leave it off as in, "Necesito hablar con mi amigo."
12 Answers
Hi Justin
This link is to another thread, reply number '1, where Lazarus has used an "a" after a verb. I know it's not exactly the same as your post, ie an "a" before the second verb, butI just thought you might be interested.
http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/show/8902/
When you use sentences with double verbs, do you use the word "a" to indicate 'to do something' such as, "Necesito a hablar con mi amigo" or would you leave it off as in, "Necesito hablar con mi amigo."
Hi Justin
Further to Lazarus's comprehensive reply, this web link gives a fairly comprensive list of verbs that are followed by a, con, de, en, por and also those followed by nothing.
I think Justin may have been hoping for easier explanation, hehe, but as you say, these have to be learnt individually. One thing I am sure of, as LadyDi says, "IR" requires an "a", unless of course you know of an exception.
Not an exception, but there are up to three different periphrasis con "ir", each one with one of the three different non-finite verb forms, and only the infinitive one requires the "a":
IR A + infinitive: to be going to + verb. One of the most common periphrases.
IR + present participle: to express a gradual progression of an event (e.g. "ve visiténdote" = Start getting dressed). Quite common, but not as much as the first one.
IR + present participle: a kind of progressive passive (subject to certain restrictions). Not very used. E.g. "Desde energo van construidos 20 km de carreteras" = Since January 20 km of road have been built.
Hi Lazarus
I thought there might be which was why I prompted the question. Thanks for the information.
I think Justin may have been hoping for easier explanation, hehe, but as you say, these have to be learnt individually. One thing I am sure of, as LadyDi says, "IR" requires an "a", unless of course you know of an exception.
Not an exception, but there are up to three different periphrasis con "ir", each one with one of the three different non-finite verb forms, and only the infinitive one requires the "a":
IR A + infinitive: to be going to + verb. One of the most common periphrases.
IR + present participle: to express a gradual progression of an event (e.g. "ve visiténdote" = Start getting dressed). Quite common, but not as much as the first one.
IR + present participle: a kind of progressive passive (subject to certain restrictions). Not very used. E.g. "Desde energo van construidos 20 km de carreteras" = Since January 20 km of road have been built.
Well... "Necesito hablar", to me, is a periphrasis, "necesito" is the auxiliary verb, and "hablar" is the main verb, since it can take further verbal complements (e.g. "Necesito hablarte de política).
Spanish has several dozens of these periphrases with two verbs (a few unusual ones can have up to three verbs). In all of them, the main verb (the one that provides the meaning) is not conjugated, so it can be an infinitive or a participle (present or past). Some of them have the verbs linked with prepositions or conjunctions; in others one verb follows the auxiliary directly. Unfortunately for those who are learning, there is no rule: you have to learn them by rote one by one.
According to my list:
39 periphrases do not take preposition.
33 periphrases require "a".
10 periphrases require "de".
6 periphrases require "por".
6 periphrases require "y".
2 periphrases require "que".
1 periphrasis require "en" and another "para".
Verbs like "necesitar" and "querer" are modal verbs, and do not form a periphrasis. They take a direct object, and this can be a noun or equivalent (i.e. an infinitive or a subordinate clause).
I think Justin may have been hoping for easier explanation, hehe, but as you say, these have to be learnt individually. One thing I am sure of, as LadyDi says, "IR" requires an "a", unless of course you know of an exception.
Are the rules in Spanish similiar? Puedo hablar, but ''''(poder) hablando/hablado [I don't even want to guess. I'm still recovering from the learn all of these by rote explanation].
English has more modal verbs than Spanish (can, could, may, might, must, ought, shall, should, will and would...),
but we have a proper future tense, so we don't require an auxiliary verb like "will".
There isn't consensus on whether "poder + infinitive" is a periphrasis, but you cannot replace "Puedo comer" with "Lo puedo" or "Puedo eso", so I see it as a periphrasis. "Deber (de) + infinitive" is another periphrasis. Other verbs like "querer", often regarded as modal verbs, do not form periphrasis, and the reason for using the infinitive and not a participle is because they are transitive and they require a direct object, but participles cannot function as nouns (so they can be used as direct objects); infinitives can.
So to answer the original questions, the a is used between auxilary and main verbs only in these 33 periphrases? It wouldn't be used in non-periphrasis verb conbinations such as with the modal auxillary verbs that you mentioned?
The definition of what constitutes a periphrasis or not is a rather technical and complex issue, but there are certain features worth mentioning:
1) The auxiliary verb of a periphrasis has lost part of its meaning (or completely). If you say "I am going to think about it", you are not "going" anywhere (certainly not to a place called "think about it"), like you would in "I am going to the cinema". So, "voy a pensarlo" would be a periphrasis, but "Voy al cine" is not; it is just a verb with a locative complement, with the preposition "a" indicating direction.
2) A periphrasis forms an indivisible block, and its main verb cannot be replaced by anything. Consider the sentences "Necesito algo", "Necesito pensar" and "Necesito que vengas". All of them can be replaced by "Lo necesito", since "algo", "pensar" and "que vengas" are all direct objects. There is no periphrasis here. However, in "Tengo que comer", you can't say "Lo tengo" to mean the same thing; "lo tengo" means "I have it (=I possess it)", so "Tengo que comer" is a periphrasis. You can't say "Tengo algo" as an equivalent of "Tengo que comer" either. Notice also that this "tengo" does not mean "to have" in the same of possessing something; it just helps the main verb in this construction.
33 periphrases require "a".
So to answer the original questions, the a is used between auxilary and main verbs only in these 33 periphrases? It wouldn't be used in non-periphrasis verb conbinations such as with the modal auxillary verbs that you mentioned?
Any other places where we're likey to run into chained verbs (an conjugated auxillary verb and an infinitive, not a conjugated auxillary verb and the present/past participle)?
These modal verbs (aren't those the ones showing permission or likelhood'....can, shall, might, will, ought, etc.) Don't they have rules for conjugation ( I shall, you will) and "tense" (I can, I can be, I can have , I can have been, etc....where the present "tense" takes the infinitive (I can work) and all the others take the present/past participle. (I can be working)
Are the rules in Spanish similiar? Puedo hablar, but ''''(poder) hablando/hablado [I don't even want to guess. I'm still recovering from the learn all of these by rote explanation].
Well... "Necesito hablar", to me, is a periphrasis, "necesito" is the auxiliary verb, and "hablar" is the main verb, since it can take further verbal complements (e.g. "Necesito hablarte de política).
Spanish has several dozens of these periphrases with two verbs (a few unusual ones can have up to three verbs). In all of them, the main verb (the one that provides the meaning) is not conjugated, so it can be an infinitive or a participle (present or past). Some of them have the verbs linked with prepositions or conjunctions; in others one verb follows the auxiliary directly. Unfortunately for those who are learning, there is no rule: you have to learn them by rote one by one.
According to my list:
39 periphrases do not take preposition.
33 periphrases require "a".
10 periphrases require "de".
6 periphrases require "por".
6 periphrases require "y".
2 periphrases require "que".
1 periphrasis require "en" and another "para".
Verbs like "necesitar" and "querer" are modal verbs, and do not form a periphrasis. They take a direct object, and this can be a noun or equivalent (i.e. an infinitive or a subordinate clause).
Are there any instances where you shouldn't use "a"?
First I think that you need to explain what you mean by double verb?
Necesito hablar is not a double verb (which I would assume is a auxillary + main verb e.g. I will go tomorrow). Necesito hablar is a verb and a noun. Spanish uses the verb infinitive as a noun form or as the English gerund.
So now we need to know if your question is when does **a **appear between the verb and the noun or between the auxillary and main verb or if you have some other construction (like the periphrasis LadyDi mentioned) in mind.
Are there any instances where you shouldn't use "a"'
It really depends on which verbs you're using together. In your example, no "a" is necessary. I believe if you use "voy" + another verb, for example, you would need an "a": "Voy a llamarlo." (I'm going to call him.)
