"Hacer a alguien hacer algo" vs. "Hacer a alguien a hacer algo"
So I understand also....isn't the first "a" the "personal a" that is used when the direct object of the verb is a specific person (or pet) that is placed directly before the mention of that person (or pet). The 2nd "a" (if necessary) is the "to" as in "to do something". The two a's server a different purpose.
"Invitar a Pepe a tomar un refresco"
4 Answers
The so called personal "a" is indeed used with direct objects, when these are specific people or humanized animals or things. All indirect ojbects take "a".
Now, most verbs can take objects, or instead of objects, infinitives or clauses. Eg.
Quiero un gato
Quiero ir
Quiero que vengas
All three sentences above are "quiero" plus a direct object.
Other verbs, like "invitar", "aprender" or "enseñar" are trickier. With "Invitar", the person to invite is the direct object, so if you want to specify what are you going to invite this person to, a third type of object is needed. This prepositional object takes "a". Eg.
Invité a mi amigo a chocolate
Invité a mi amigo a comer
So, for this verb, what you invite this person to requires "a". This can be either a thing, an infinitive, or a clause, like in "querer". In English, a verb like treat behaves similarly:
I treated my fried to chocolate
I treated my fried to eat
"Aprender" is only used with facts. If you say "aprender hablar"; you are lerning the word "hablar"; it would sound like "learn speak". If you want to learn how to speak, you can either say "aprender cómo hablar" (how to speak), or use this prepositional object, which in this case clarifies what action are you trying to master.
"Enseñar", when it means to teach someone something, is only used with facts, like "aprender". So, if you want to teach someone (the direct object) HOW to do something, this prepositional object with "a" must also be used.
The "anticipatory it" in English has no real counterpart in Spanish:
It is surprising how tall he is
Es sorprendente lo alto que es
Eso es sorprendente lo alto que es (wrong)
I find it strange that he is so tall
Encuentro extraño lo alto que es
Lo encuentro extraño lo alto que es (wrong)
Most of the constructions I used in my previous post would have required an anticipatory "it" in English (or an infinitive with "to"), but in Spanish you can't use this pronoun. Whereas in English it is often necessary, in Spanish is awfully incorrect all the time.
However, the "anticipatory" D.O. pronoun in Spanish does not exist in English. This pronoun is normally not allowed in Spanish when the direct object is also present in the sentence (in some countries they use it colloquially, but it is best avoided):
Veo tu gato
Lo veo tu gato (wrong)
However, there are cases where it must be used:
1) when the direct object precedes the verb: "Tu gato lo veo".
2) when the direct object is a tonic pronoun: "Lo veo a él".
3) when the direct object is "todo": "Lo sé todo".
These rules are exactly the same when you use complicated subordinate clauses and infinitives.
Does it help?
so this is what Nick was referring to?
Could you explain a little further and tell me why there is no anticipatory d.o. pronoun used in these type sentences?
