Why is "a" in "a ellos dos" instead of "de"?
...detuvieron a otros dos pandilleros identificados como Alejandro "Alex" Maldonado, de 34 años de edad, y Eugenio Salazar, de 41. A ellos dos les decomisaron 14.25 gramos de heroína.
In the last sentence there is a phrase "A ellos dos..." Why is "a" used here? I thought "de" (from) would have been the right word to use.
They (the authorities) seized 14.25 grams of heroin from the two.
5 Answers
Detener a (una persona). To arrest someone. The preposition we use in Spanish with the verb detener is "a".
Decomisar algo a (una persona). To seize something from someone. The preposition we use with the verb decomisar is "a".
Prepositions vary from language to language. It's no use trying to figure out why. They're ingrained in speech over the years and most of the time we need to memorize their usage.
I hope this helps!
The use of "a" is not referring to "de" (from).
In Spanish, when the direct object is a person, it is preceded by the preposition "a." This word has no English translation.
From the perspective of the English speaker, the personal "a" appears to be an extra word. From the perspective of the Spanish speaker, the personal "a" is required, and to not use it is a serious error.
Please see more information in the above link.
Or you may type "personal a" into the box under the green, Ask a Question.
Bandit51jd is correct that the personal 'a' is used before a direct object (of the verb) when the direct object is a person. This also applies to when the direct object is a pet but not for animals that are not pets. As bandit51jd said, there is no English equivalent of the personal 'a'.
We can use "de ellos" for example, if some criminals avoid their culpability... "se obtuvo una confesión de ellos"
- a mí / to me
- a ti, a usted / to you
- a él / to him
- a ella / to her
- a nosotros(as) / to us
- a ustedes / to you
- a ellos(as) / to them
