When to use "a".

Question

while i was practicing spanish on fluencia i happened to come across the question "I like to cook". My translation of the sentence was "me gusta a cocinar" but the correct translation was "me gusta cocinar" on the next question "a" was included. My question is when do you use "a" to mean to.

Please use proper capitalization and punctuation in your posts. Thanks. - rac1, Apr 17, 2014

Answer 1

I hate to give you bad news, but the bottom line is that you mostly have to learn them case by case, and how to combine the correct prepositions with a given verb is hard. Here is a nice short spiel on the subject of linking verbs together with prepositions:

enter link description here

and to quote:

There is no simple hard and fast rule as to how these verbs are joined together, and the situation is complicated by the fact that some verbs can be used in various ways, at times with various meanings, depending on which preposition if any intervenes. Nevertheless, a few generalizations may help when these linkages occur: 1. Verbs meaning “to begin” and verbs of movement towards someplace or goal are normally followed by a plus an infinitive. 2. Verbs meaning “to stop” or “to finish” are normally followed by de plus an infinitive. 3. Modals (e.g., “should”, “can”, “may”) are normally followed by an infinitive with no intervening preposition. 4. Verbs meaning “to continue” are normally followed by the -ndo form, with no preposition.

Another good source is "Practice makes perfect"Spanish pronouns and prepositions, Dorothy Richmond- a fairly inexpensive workbook that I bought mostly for the pronouns a few years ago, but still serves for prepositions.

Now with gustar- remember that gustar uses items following as the subject, so in this case "cocinar" is actually standing in as a noun in the way that that it could in English as well:

Me gusta cocinar=( cooking/ to cook) is pleasing to me- conceptually in English I like cooking.

So I am hard pressed to think of any case an "a" would be used after "gustar".

Very nice explanation of this tricky stuff. Personally I use the website you linked quite often for this very reason. - Manity, Apr 17, 2014

You offered us a very good link. This is the first time I visit the webpage. - joygogo, Apr 17, 2014

Answer 2

It is also used in this next sentence but, if I am honest, I cannot remmeber why it is needed here:

¿Conoce a un buen médico? = Do you know a good doctor?

When the direct object is a person in Spanish it is introduced with 'a' - this avoids ambiguity. Eg. ¿Conoce un buen médico? - could mean 'Does a good doctor know?' but the 'a' removes that possibility by showing that the doctor is the direct object - ¿Do you know a good doctor?'.

Very good point! - joygogo, Apr 17, 2014

Thanks, Kiwi :) - FELIZ77, Apr 17, 2014

Answer 3

Do you know what the next question was? Then we can try to explain the difference.

When you use an infinitive (to run, to cook, to eat), it directly follows "me gusta".

Me gusta cocinar.

A mí me gusta comer.

Answer 4

Perhaps it was a typo and the last 'a' of 'gusta' got double typed?

I can't think of any case where you'd follow gustar by 'a'.

Did Paralee say 'me gusta a' or was it just written that way?

Hola, Kiwi-Girl. In the phrase "jugar a las damas", is "a" a preposition or "personal a"? - joygogo, Apr 17, 2014

It's the preposition 'a', we know I t's definitely not the personal a as it is not introducing a person, I'm not sure why but when playing something it's just always jugar a. - Kiwi-Girl, Apr 17, 2014

Well I mean I can't give you the grammatical reason for the 'a' after jugar, it's just the way it is lol - Kiwi-Girl, Apr 17, 2014

Thanks, I got it! - joygogo, Apr 17, 2014

I think people once said things like "play at football" or "play at checkers" in English, but it sounds kind of archaic now. - bosquederoble, Apr 17, 2014

Answer 5

Please don't forget that the preposition a can also be used as the personal a in sentences!

For example: Voy a visitar a mi abuela = I'm going to visit my grandma.

The first a is linking the two verbs of motion whereas the last one is the personal a that is used to indicate a personal relationship to the person concerned, in this case the grandma.

The personl a is used for family, friends, and also pets, (but not wild animals) It is used where people are concerned and indicates a bond of affection

It is also used in this next sentence but, if I am honest, I cannot remmeber why it is needed here:

¿Conoce a un buen médico? = Do you know a good doctor?

I hope this also helps

The only one bad is I love my dog, erase that a from there. :) - chileno, Apr 17, 2014

The personal "a" is only used when it is applied to an object, never a subject, in the sentence with encantar, the dog is the subject. :) - bosquederoble, Apr 17, 2014

By the way I know Feliz knows this (it was just one of those errors we make sometimes)- I wrote this to ensure everyone knows why Chileno said what he did, that it had nothing to do with it being a dog, which as Feliz says, can have a personal "a". :) - bosquederoble, Apr 17, 2014

see note below why you need the 'a' with the doctor ;) - Kiwi-Girl, Apr 17, 2014

Well, I appreciate bosquederobl explanations and those of Kiwi, but there are more stuff to this than just that "personal a", but I ain;t talking until someone asks the right question. ;) - chileno, Apr 17, 2014

Hola, Feliz. I have a question. Why do we use (the preposition) "a" in the phrase "jugar a las damas"? - joygogo, Apr 17, 2014

Good explanation! - joygogo, Apr 17, 2014

Answer 6

Have you tried this practice exercise?

There is a Lesson before the quiz.

It helps. - Maria-Russell, Apr 17, 2014