Using the 'a' in a sentence involving an action performed on another.
Ok, the title is not great but did not know how to phrase it.
So using rosetta stone, and as any of you that have used it know, you get pictures and words in spanish, no explainations. Not too big a deal but sometimes run into something that confuses me.
Ok so to the point, I have 2 sentences, very much alike but rosetta stone sets one up with an "a" which seems correct but the other with out it which feels wrong, I am just curious why the second does not have the a, when studying i throw it in anyway because I think it feel right. So here they are.
Why is mom washing the dog? ¿por qué está mamá lavando al perro. ( al in place of - a el -)
The woman brushes the horse. La mujer cepilla el caballo. ( no cepilla al or cepilla a el )
Is there a rule I am missing as to why there is not an "a" after the cepilla? Im thinking maybe because cepilla ends in the letter a or something?
it just seems that if she is washing the dog, an action to an animal gets an "a" for To, action to, then why not the same for a different action to another animal. I know one is action being done now and the other an action that is done or as a fact, but I did not think that would make a difference.
I hope I have not confused it further for you in the way I have described it.
7 Answers
The "personal a" is used after a verb and before a person (or pet) that is the object of that verb.
Maybe the horse isn't considered to be a pet like the dog is?
A propósito, porque el perro huele mal. (smile)
The "a" you are talking about I believe refers to a personal "a". This "a" is used in sentences in which the object of a verb is a person, or as good as a person, but not with non-persons. For example, in the sentence "I see the car" is "Veo el carro", while "I see Mary" is "Veo a Mary". Now, animals, as far as I understand, are tricky. I think it is a cultural phenomenon. In Spanish, I believe pets are considered part of the family, or more important than common things, and so receive the personal "a" themselves. So, my guess is that the dog is of greater importance to the speaker than the horse, and therefore deserves the personal "a".
Then again, I might be completely wrong, so wait and see.
Interesante, Franco. Debe ser cuestión de zonas. En mi casa, casi siempre lavamos al perro...
LLavamos al perro pero los monos se bañan sin nuestra ayuda.
Both forms are acceptable. But I would not use lavar el perro o al perro. I would use bañar. Lavar is used for clothes not for people or animals.
If the dog is your pet, then you can say: "María baña al perro (a Fido)". Otherwise, it's perfectly OK to say "María baña el perro".
Please note that lavarse is used with people. Example: Me lavo los dientes. María se lava la cara. This is quite different that using the non-reflexive lavar.
Besides people, as others have said, pets get the ´personal a´ Also, personified animals, such as mascots, cartoon characters etc, such as ¨Tony the Tiger¨ etc etc.
Both of those make sense, I think I get it now and it is no longer stressing me lol. Thanks.
