Personal a
The personal a
You should be familiar with direct objects and direct object pronouns before beginning this section.
The personal a is a concept in Spanish that does not exist in English. Basically, the idea is that when a person, or important animal, is a direct object, he/she/it must be preceded by "a." For instance:
Yo conozco a ella. (I know her.)
Ella mira a los doctores. (She watches the doctors.)
Nosotros buscamos a un hombre alto. (We are looking for a tall man.)
Él prefiere al profesor interesante. (He prefers the interesting professor.)
A note: as you may realize, tener does not require the use of the personal a in all circumstances. For instance, you might say, Tengo una hermana (I have a sister), which is perfectly correct. Similarly, querer does not always require the use of a personal a, although in most cases it does. For example, notice the difference between:
querer a una mujer (to love a woman)
querer una mujer (to want a woman)*
* Example oringinally found in:
Butt, John, and Carmen Benjamin. "Personal a after tener, querer." A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish. 5th ed. London: Routledge, 2013. 331. Print.
Peronsal a is required before a direct object that is a person or animal.
Quick reference:
The personal a crops up in many different circumstances. Here are a few worth noting. Because they are a little bit complex, don't worry too much if you are unsure about how to incorporate them into your own writing, just be aware that you might see these constructions from time to time.
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with como
Como is a key player in making comparisons. When you link two nouns using como, one of which is a direct object requiring the personal a, the second noun will also receive the personal a, even if not a person.
Examples:
Él trata a su hermano como a un perro. (He treats his brother like a dog.)
Ella quiere a su gato como a un niño. (She loves her cat like a son/child.)
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with relative pronouns (que, quien, cual)
This is definitely a more subtle one. It is best explained through examples.
Examples:
Marta, la mujer muy alta, a la que él querÃa, se mudó a España. (Marta, the very tall woman, whom he loved. moved to Spain.)
Tú me dijeste que era el primer hispanohablante al que habÃas conocido. (You told me I was the first Spanish speaker you had met.)