A ti and A mi are confusing for me
When do you use A ti and A mi? Are they only used with indirect object pronouns? Can they be used with direct object pronouns? Need to know more, my books are not giving me enough information. Thank you, I'm 70 and taking spanish classes, and never had spanish in high school, so I need all the help I can get. Marilyn Mayhone
3 Answers
They can definitely be used with either indirect or direct objects. Sometimes they are included just for emphasis or clarity.
A mí me gustan estas preguntas. (indirect object emphasizer)
Ella te dio a ti la respuesta. (indirect object)
Te amo a ti. (direct object )
You are going to see the "redundant" i.o.p. or d.o.p. (te or me) used along with the a mí or a ti.
5.1. Si el complemento tónico es también un pronombre personal, la coaparición del pronombre átono es obligatoria, tanto si el complemento es directo como indirecto: Me castigaron a mí; A ti te dieron el premio (no *Castigaron a mí; *A ti dieron el premio).
In English this says that if the a mí or a ti is the indirect or direct object of the sentence then the use of the redundant pronoun (me,te) is required. If the a mí or a ti is not in the sentence than the "redundant" pronoun may or may not be required.
Amo a Juan. (direct object)
the a Juan does not contain a personal pronoun so the redundant d.o.p. is not required.
Ella [le] dio el libro a Juan. (a Juan is the indirect object. it does not contain a personal pronoun so the "redundant" i.o.p. le is optional)
A Juan le dio el libro. (a Juan is the indirect object. It does not contain a personal pronoun, but it precedes the verb so the "redundant" i.o.p. is mandatory)
This has little to do with your a mí or a ti, but I suppose we should include a d.o. that does not contain a personal pronoun that precedes the verb.
A Juan lo amo. (the a Juan is the d.o. , does not contain a personal pronoun, but precedes the verb so the "redundant d.o.p. lo is required).
The thing to remember is that the a ti or a mí contains a personal pronoun so the "redundant" i.o.p. or d.o.p. (me, te) is going to be used with it whether it comes before or after the verb.
When I see "a mí" or "a ti", my mind instantly thinks of the verb gustar and its friends.
A mí, a ti, a ella...the list goes on and on. These are prepositions phrases that introduce, clarify, and emphasize the indirect object pronoun. You can read more about those in the link I posted!
Here is a great place to get more information:
http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/100017/indirect-object-pronouns
Don't forget, if you ever see ti with an accent (tí), it is a typo. The word tí does not exist in Spanish.
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