How to use the Spanish ‘personal a’ in Questions
This is Part 2, a continuation from yesterday.
Post 179/365
Es jueves, el 21 de septiembre de 2017.
Es el primer día del otoño.
¡Hola!
Yesterday we started learning about the personal ‘a’. That tricky little word that has no translation in English.
Remember that you’ll use it in front of people or domestic animals and that you can hook it up with certain verbs that usually have a person or pet as the direct object.
Ejemplos:
¿Conoces a Claudio? – Do you know Claudio?
No, no conozco a él. – No, I don’t know him.
Ella invita a su novio. – She’s inviting her boyfriend.
Yo no puedo entender a Hector muy bien. Habla muy rápido. – I can’t understand Hector very well. He talks really fast.
Today, we’re going to see how this fits in with asking questions.
1.
Let’s start by bringing back our 10 verbs from yesterday and by adding a few new ones, too.
1. ayudar – to help
2. besar – to kiss
3. buscar – to look for
4. conocer – to know
5. escribir – to write
6. esperar – to wait for
7. invitar – to invite
8. llevar – to take
9. mirar – to watch
10. visitar – to visit
11. amar / querer* – to love *Note that querer means to want, and it means to love.
12. comprender / entender – to understand
13. llamar – to call
14. recoger – to pick up
15. ver – to see
Modelos:
a. Necesito llamar a mi hijo. – I need to call my son.
b. Teresa va a recoger a sus niños a las 2:30pm – Teresa is going to pick up her kids at 2:30pm.
c. Yo no veo a ellos. – I don’t see them.
d. Ellos no comprenden a nosotros. – They don’t understand us.
2 ways to ask a questions using the ‘personal a’ in Spanish
2.
Asking questions.
A. When we know that the answer requires the personal ‘a’, the question will need it, too.
Modelos:
a. ¿Necesitas llamar a tu hijo? – Do you need to call you son?
b. ¿Comprenden ellos a nosotros? – Do they understand us?
c. ¿Conocen Uds. a mi esposo/a? – Do you guy know my husband/wife?
d. ¿Esperas a Juanita? – Are you waiting for Juanita?
B. Using the question word ‘¿A quién? to say who or to whom…
Modelos:
a. ¿A quién esperas? – Who are you waiting for?
b. ¿A quién buscas? – Who are you looking for?
c. ¿A quién invitas a la fiesta? – Who are you inviting to the party?
d. ¿A quién llamas? – Who are you calling?
Action steps: Go back and answer the 8 questions in section 2 from above.
Leave me a comment, let me how you’re doing with your Spanish.
Muchas gracias y hasta mañana,
Carolina
