Key points about the personal 'a' in Spanish
In Spanish the personal a is needed before the word for any human being or pet after every single verb.
The personal a is not used before an object.
Add the personal a before the words alguien, nadie and 驴辩耻颈茅苍?
The personal 鈥榓鈥
In Spanish you need to add an extra a before the word for any human being or pet after every single verb.
For example:
Estoy buscando a Luis. - I鈥檓 looking for Luis.
Veo a mis amigos. - I see my friends.
The personal a is not used for objects.
For example:
Estoy buscando mi m贸vil. - I鈥檓 looking for my mobile phone.
The personal 'a' - Mini quiz
Translate the following sentence into Spanish:
My brother likes to play piano.
A mi hermano le gusta tocar el piano.
The personal 'a' with masculine singular nouns
When the personal a is used in front of a masculine singular noun, a and el are contracted to form al.
For example:
Mi madre llama al doctor. - My mum calls the doctor.
Est谩 buscando al perro. - He鈥檚 looking for the dog.
The personal 'a' with the pronouns 'alguien' and 'nadie'
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (someone) and Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. (no one) require the personal a because they refer to people, although no one in specific.
For example:
Yo no veo a nadie. - I don鈥檛 see anyone.
Tengo que cont谩rselo a alguien. - I have to tell someone.
The personal 'a' with the question word '驴辩耻颈茅苍?'
The question word Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. references people so the personal a must come before it.
For example:
驴A qui茅n vas a ver? - Who are you going to see?
驴A qui茅n est谩s buscando? - Who are you looking for?
Quiz - The personal 'a'
Practise what you've learned about the personal a in Spanish with this quiz.
Now you have learned about the personal a in Spanish why not explore the verb 'to be'?
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