"A qué vamos a jugar"

Question

Hi Friends,

"A qué vamos a jugar" ......... I read this sentence in one of my books and the English translation for this is given as "what are we going to play ? .... Now I am confused as to why an A was needed here before qué ,, I understand the logic behind "a quien" which acts like whom in English ,, but this "a que" is still beyond my understanding.

As a matter of fact I think it is also an idiomatic expression which means a lot of different things depending on the context.

If some one could kindly help me get a handle over this ,, I would really appreciate the help.

Thanks and Regards.

Answer 1

Jugar is an odd Spanish word. It's one of the only irregular verbs that doesn't follow a pattern like the other irregular verbs. For example, many verbs spelled with the letter "o" in the infinitive, like almorzar, change that syllable to "ue" when a conjugation makes it stressed, like almuerzo.

However, Jugar changes to Juego when conjugated in first person simple present even though the infinite obviously doesn't have the letter "o."

Another interestingly thing about Jugar is that "To know how to play" is usually translated as "Saber jugar", instead of "Saber cómo jugar."

quite right, actually saber works that way with knowing how to do things in general, él sabe nadar, (he knows how to swim), ella sabe conducir (she knows how to drive) etc. - Kiwi-Girl, Apr 1, 2014

thank you friends .. - 00b055e0, Apr 1, 2014

Answer 2

Because jugar is one of those specific verbs that require "a" when used and it's the way Spanish-speaking people speak.

ohh yes ,, I get the idea now ,, the characteristic preposition of the verb is shiftig places here ,, I think it can happen with other verbs and other prepositions too ,, - 00b055e0, Apr 1, 2014

like soñar con ,, so we might say ,,, con que estå soñando .. I get it ,, thanks - 00b055e0, Apr 1, 2014