Tienes que dar de comer al perro

Question

In lesson 1.13 it states: Tienes que dar de comer al perro.

Why is "al" there? (I forgot the rules on when you have to use "a")

Isn't that saying He has to feed "to the" dog" Or it: he has to give food to the dog?

can you also say:

Tienes que dar de comer el perro? (Or would that be saying he has to eat the dog?)

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Answer 1

You're right:

Tienes que dar de comer al perro = He has to give food to the dog.

to = a

el = the

al = the contraction of a + el

Answer 2

So dar de comer really means to give food and is the way to say "feed" ?

Yes, it is used with old people, babies and animals.

Answer 3

So dar de comer really means to give food and is the way to say "feed" ?

I'd say "Tienes que alimentar el perro." I'm really not sure about that particular expression "dar de comer." - --Mariana--, SEP 13, 2009