Question

On Vacation Part 2

Grammar Hunches: Personal "a" (Practice)
Prompt
Now that you have worked through a lot of material that includes these basic patterns, and you have compared grammatically correct and incorrect sentences, write down what you think is a rule that could explain what makes a sentence grammatically correct or not. For example, you might write something like: "verbs always match nouns in number, and they usually come before the noun." In other words, make your best guess for the grammar rule that makes sense out of the pattern(s) you see in the phrases you have been working with. Review if you need to, and you might briefly check your hunches against the sentences you have been working with in this or previous modules. Keep in mind that what you're after is your hunch, not a grammar rule from a text book. Then check your hunch with the explanation of this principle in the following pattern.

Answer 1

Based on my understanding of the personal "a" in Spanish, my hunch is that the personal "a" is used before a direct object that refers to a person, or a pet that is treated as a member of the family. This helps to distinguish between the direct object and the subject of the sentence.

For example, "Yo veo a mi hermana" (I see my sister) uses the personal "a" because "mi hermana" is the direct object and refers to a person. However, "Yo veo la casa" (I see the house) does not use the personal "a" because "la casa" is not a person.

I think this rule is important because it helps to clarify the meaning of the sentence and adds a level of respect or importance to the person or pet that is the direct object.

Espero ayudarte saludos.