A mi a ti..
¡holaa! Whats the exact meaning of 'a mi a ti a el..' in English? and When we'll use them?¿
1 Answer
They mean "to me" and "to you' respectively.
They are often used as to emphasize to whom something is pleasing using the verb "gustar" Inasmuch as Spanish does not have a transitive "to like" the verb "gustar" is used. Literally it means "to be pleasing to.
They are also used with other verbs that utilize indirect object pronouns. Spanish is the only language that uses an indirect object pronoun and the indirect object itself in the same sentence.
Here's a short lesson on it that may help explain things.
"A" phrases with "gustar"
When using “gustar” or verbs like it (those that require an indirect object pronoun), you’ll often see the prepositional phrase with “a” like “a mí,” “a ti,” “a él/ella,” etc.
This prepositional phrase serves two purposes. It can either add emphasis or it can clarify. Take a sentence like “A mí me gustan las fresas” (“I like strawberries.”) as an example. You could remove “a mí” and the sentence would still have the same meaning. Including the prepositional phrase, though, just adds a bit more emphasis that the speaker, specifically, likes strawberries.
Now let’s take a sentence like “A mi hermana le gusta el café” (“My sister likes coffee”) as an example. Again, you can remove “a mi hermana” and the sentence would be grammatically correct. The indirect object pronoun “le,” though, can mean “to/for him,” “to/for her,” or “to/for you (formal).” Without some more information, “Le gusta el café” is a very ambiguous statement. Who likes coffee? Adding “a mi hermana,” though, removes any doubt.
This structure may take some getting used to, but practice makes perfect!
If there is no teaching on this subject in the archives I will be happy to write one up and show how these "a phrases" (a mí, a ti, a él, a ella, a Pedro, etc.) are used with verbs like "gustar" and other verbs that utilize indirect object pronouns, plus "a phrases" are used in Spanish.
