Use of the personal "a"

Question

Need help with the personal "a", in particular with subjunctive use. Or are there certain words that ALWAYS need the personal "a"?

What is "personal a"? - Oshnaj, Oct 12, 2016

Welcome to SpanishDict. We ask that all new members complete their profiles with their native language, and what level of Spanish you feel you are, like, beginner, intermediate, etc. as well as gender. - rac1, Oct 12, 2016

The "Personal ,A , is now posted on the forum for you. Now. Please complete. your profle. - ray76, Oct 13, 2016

http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/281854/the-personal-a-.preposition-not-often-translated-to-english#q281854 - ray76, Oct 13, 2016

Answer 1

Hi, Bozetta.

Can you complete your profile, please? People can help you more easily if they know your language proficiencies and (at times) your gender and location.

The personal a has been discussed here 17.2 gajillion times. Use the search box under Ask a Question.

There are tons and tons and tons of explanations on the Web.

Can you be more specific about what's puzzling you? Maybe give some examples? I don't see how the subjunctive is relevant:
Sé que usted ve a mi padre.
Quiero que usted vea a mi padre.

Hola, jtaniel: Isn't it "gaZillion"? Jeje. - Daniela2041, Oct 12, 2016

Thanks, JT. - rac1, Oct 12, 2016

D - gajillion is an acceptable variant. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gajillion - jtaniel, Oct 12, 2016

Answer 2

¡Ah, la "a"! Creo que se usa hasta en los casos de los robot personales. ¿Por qué no "robotes"? Es otro tema.

Es «los robots», ¿no? - jtaniel, Oct 12, 2016

Mira: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/robot#Spanish - jtaniel, Oct 12, 2016

Mira: https://mobile.twitter.com/RAEinforma/status/302357014019977217 - jtaniel, Oct 12, 2016

Es como «chips» y «hábitats» ... ¿no? - jtaniel, Oct 12, 2016

Answer 3

It's when you stick an "a" (the personal "a") in front of a person or pet in Spanish. In English, we just say "I see my mother." but in Spanish, they say "Veo a mi madre." The "a" is right before "mi madre". But I see it left out sometimes & I'd like to know when it's appropriate to leave the "a" out of the sentence.