Question about "alimentar" and the preposition "a"
Rosetta Stone gave me the following sentences:
1) El granjero alimenta a sus pollos. 2) El hombre alimenta al tiburón.
I don´t understand why Rosetta Stone is putting the "a" in these sentences. Are they supposed to be personal "a" or prepositional "a"? It is my understanding that "alimentar" does not require the preposition "a" when it is followed by an object (as, for example, "entrar" does).
I suppose the case can be made, for the first sentence, that it is a personal "a", because the farmer is close to his chickens. But, it´s clear in the second sentence (from the photo on Rosetta Stone) that this is some random shark out in the ocean that is coming up to a diver in a cage. So, again, why are these "a" ´s there?
P.S. SpanishDict and other dictionaries show many examples and none use the "a" before the object.
Edit: One of the replies I received started off with the sentence, "Animals are not objects". I, in now way, think that animals are objects. I am only trying to learn Spanish, that is all. I surely appreciate all the assistance the very generous people on this website give so freely.
There are a lot of different sources with guidance for using the "personal a" and I´m trying to understand. For example, on about.com, the guidance is as follows:
"Pets: Many pet owners think of their animals as people, and so does Spanish grammar, so the personal a is used. But the a isn't used with ordinary animals. Veo a mi perro, Ruff, I see my dog, Ruff. Veo tres elefantes, I see three elephants."
Thank you.
3 Answers
Yes as mentioned it is a personal "a". The personal pronoun in "Sus pollos" supports the idea of "personal" relationship. In the case of tiburón, the author or speaker is using the person "a" tp emphasize the personal nature.....or at least that is my assumption without any other context.
Animals are not objects.
I if you talk about your dog, your horse, your chickens, you often use the personal ' a'.
Without context I can't comment on the shark, if the shark took his leg, perhaps it was a personal matter. I don't think animals have to be tame for you to use the ' a', it more stresses the feeling of connection. If in doubt, use it. It normally sounds better with it than without.
Voy a sacar a mi perro. -- I'm going to takemy dog out ( for a walk).
Voy a montar a caballo. ( any horse) Voy a ensillar al caballo -- I'll saddle the horse, implying, the one I'm going to ride.
Voy a dar la comida al tiburón.
Well the shark may not be known personally on a friendly basis but that particular shark is known, it was a specific shark, hence the personal 'a'. The lesson at that link may shed a bit more light on it.
