personal a
On my recent Spanish test a few questions dealt with the "personal a", but i do not remember learning about it. What is it?
3 Answers
This lesson might help, it's all about the Spanish 'a' and its uses including as the personal 'a' - here's an excerpt:
5) The personal 'a'.
This term 'personal a' has been coined to help us understand this untranslatable use of the preposition 'a' but you won't find that term in many (if any) Spanish grammar books written in Spanish for Spanish speakers.
To introduce a direct object that is a definite person (or treated like a person - eg a pet), also used for groups of people (made up of or including known people) and personified nouns:
Conozco a Pablo. I know Peter.
Encontré a mi perro Rover. I found my dog Rover.
Oigo a los estudiantes. I hear the students.
Respeta a los ancianos. Respect your elders.
The main exception to the rule about 'known people' is that certain pronouns, such as alguien and nadie, always require the personal a when used as direct objects, even when they aren't referring to a specific person.
Eg: No conozco a nadie. I don't know anybody.
And here's a more indepth article that deals only with the personal 'a'.
The presonal a is used when the action of the verb is directed at a person, rather a thing (this also works with pets that are considered part of someone´s family).
Estoy mirando el jardín .... I am looking at the garden
Estoy mirando a mi hermana ..... I am looking at my sister
Estoy mirando a mi perro ... I am looking at my dog
Estoy mirando un perro callejero ..... I am looking at a stray dog
The personal "a" as noted is used for a direct object that is a specific person and not a thing.
It is also used with words like alquien, nadie, alguno , ninguno, cualquiera and any other pronoun that refers to a person. It is used with numbers that refer to persons.
Personal "a" is not used with the verb tener.
The specfic person aspect can be tricky. Por ejemplo, "Este restaurante busca camareros.." This restaurant is looking for waiters. Waiters in this sentence are not considered to be "specific" person(s).
