more vocab :( Flashcards
el parque de diversiones
the amusement park
la playa
the beach
la ciudad
the city
el pais
the country
el hotel
the hotel
el lago
the lake
el monumento
the monument
el museo
the museum
el parque nacional
the national park
el lugar
the place
el mar
the sea
el estadio
the stadium
el teatro
the theatre
el boleto
the ticket
el arbol
the tree
el viaje
the trip
el zoologico
the zoo
durante
during
temprano
early
tarde
late
fantastico
fantastic
impresionante
impressive
comprar recuerdos
to buy souvenirs
ir de vacaciones
to go on vacation
salir
to go out
aprender
to learn
descansar
to rest
regresar
to return
sacar fotos
to take pictures
viajar
to travel
visitar
to visit
viajar
to travel
visitar
to visit
THE “PERSONAL A ”
Pattern: When the direct object of a sentence is a person, it is preceded by the preposition “a.”
Basics of the “personal a”
Consider the following two English sentences:
Morgan sees the tree.
Morgan sees Anna.
It seems perfectly normal for Morgan to see a tree just like he sees Anna. In Spanish, however, we must use the “personal a” in the second sentence because the direct object (Anna) is a person. Here are the same two sentences in Spanish:
Morgan ve el árbol.
Morgan ve a Anna.
Exceptions
As usual, there are exceptions to the rule. The “personal a” is not usually used after the verb tener, for example.
Tengo dos hermanos. I have two brothers.
The “personal a” is also not used if the person is indefinite. For example:
Necesito un abogado. I need a lawyer. (The lawyer is unknown)
For purposes of the “personal a,” pets are treated like people. Other animals are not, however.
Oigo a mi perro Spot. I hear my dog Spot.
Oigo los elefantes. I hear the elephants.
conocemos
know
al
to the / at the.
