in Spanish, when do you need to use a personal "a"
in Spanish, when do you need to use a personal "a"
4 Answers
There are some exceptions to the rule of no personal a after tener, ie: No me siento solo porque te tengo a ti / Tengo a alguien que me quiere.
Also any animal that is considered close to a person or a pet can be spoken with the personal a, ie: Annie quiere mucho a su caballo / Mañana voy a llevar a mi gato al veterinario
In Spanish, when the direct object is a person or a pet it is preceded by the preposition "a."
Miro la televisión. Miro a mi amiga. Miro a mi perrito.
If the direct object is an indefinite person, the personal "a" is not used. The personal "a" is not used after the verb tener, or the verb form hay
Necesito un maestro de español. Tengo cinco perros. Hay cinco perros.
We use "a" always before indirect object.
Le dije a mi prima que hoy iríamos al cine.
Also, we use "a" after some verbs, many of them movement verbs.
Voy a la playa. Salgo a la calle. Viajo a España.
I hope this helps. You can find many useful Spanish tips in my website, visit it!
I read in a grammar book by Stein that this preposition is used with the following:-
1) Time eg Te llamo a las ocho. (I will call you at Eight)
2) Movement eg Vamos a la casa de Juan. (We are going to Juan's house)
3) Location eg ¡Espere a la puerta de la tienda! (Wait at the door of the shop)
4) Means/Manner eg hecho a mano (hand made)
5) Price eg Se vende el boleto a cien y dos libras. (The ticket sells at £102)
6)Speed eg Iba a cien kilómetros por hora en su carro nuevo. (He was going 100mph in his new car.
As well as for when a person or pet is the direct object of a sentence. Hope this helps.
Good answer Gabriella,
Only one correction,
Number 3 is not correct, we don't say "espera a la puerta" we say "espere EN la puerta". Actually at+place= en+lugar.
I hope this helps!
