Personal A when talking about body parts?

Question

I know you use personal "a" when your direct object is a person:

Juan sees Julia - Juan ve a Julia.

Juan kisses Julia - Juan besa a Julia.

But what about when your direct object is part of that person's body?

Juan kisses Julia's hand .... Juan besa la mano de Julia OR Juan besa a la mano de Julia?

I'm guessing it's the first example, but I wanted to ask someone who knows for sure. So is a part of the body considered a person?

Answer 1

Good question, but no. The personal "a" is just used when a person or a pet is the subject.

One thing you should know is that when talking about body parts in Spanish we don't use the possessive word "your, his, her" etc. For example,

• Dame la mano. "Give me your hand."

• ¿Te duele la cabeza? "Does your head hurt / Do you have a headache?"

Gracias, Mariana! I knew the part about the possessives not being used, and I also knew the rule about people and pets... it's funny how sometimes we second-guess ourselves. Again, I appreciate the helpful information - ten un buen dia! - SiempreAprendo, Nov 14, 2012

You are so welcome, I'm glad I could help. You're right...we DO second guess ourselves, even in English! Hehehe. Oh, it's "Que tengas un buen día." - --Mariana--, Nov 14, 2012

Answer 2

You asked:

Juan kisses Julia's hand .... Juan besa la mano de Julia OR Juan besa a la mano de Julia?

Juan besa la mano de Julia or Juan le besa la mano a Julia (le besa, implies it's her hand he's kissing). Note that in besar la mano there is no personal "a". The preposition "a" is for the indirect object Julia (to Julia).

I hope this helps!