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The Personal “a”
Direct Objects
 You
know that the direct object
is the person or thing that
receives the action of a verb.
Direct Objects
 For
example…
 I bought the shirt.
 Which word is the direct
object?
 Right! The shirt.
The Personal “a”



Unlike English, whenever a specific person
or group of people is the direct object of a
verb in Spanish, the personal “a” must be
used.
It is used before the person that is the
direct object. That’s why it’s called the
personal “a.“
In other words, if a person is being verbed
(invited, looked at, known, etc), you must
add an “a” before the person.
The Personal “a”
 Which
one of these sentences
needs a personal “a” ?
 Quiero visitar el aeropuerto.
 Quiero visitar mis hermanos.
 Quiero visitar a mis hermanos.
The Personal “a”
 The
“a” doesn’t mean anything and
we have nothing similar in English.
 In
Spanish, it is simply correct
grammatically to put the personal “a”
before a direct object that is a person.
The Personal “a”

Sometimes we need to say the word “the” after
the personal “a”.

Example: I see the woman = Yo veo a la mujer.
There are 4 ways to do this - use:
a la – if the person is feminine singular.
al – if the person is masculine singular (we cannot
use a el)
a las – if the person is feminine plural.
a los – if the person is masculine plural.

1.
2.
3.
4.
The Personal “a”
 What’s
wrong with the
following sentence?
 Quiero visitar a el agente de
viajes.
 Quiero visitar al agente de
viajes.
The Personal “a”
 We
can also use the personal
a when the direct object is an
animal, especially a pet.
 Busco a mi gato.
The Personal “a”
We usually do not use the personal “a”
after the verb tener.
 This is true even if the direct object is a
person.
Example
 Tengo muchos tíos.

To Review…Use “a”
 Before
the direct object when the
direct object is a person/people
 When the direct object is an
animal
 Not after the verb tener
 Good!! 
Práctica - Read the sentence and decide if a “personal
a” is necessary. If it is, please write it in.
1. Veo ____ la televisión.
2. Busco ___ mis
hermanos.
Veo la televisión.
Busco a mis hermanos.
¿Tienes muchos primos?
3. ¿Tienes ____ muchos
primos?
4. Ella invita ____ mí a la
fiesta.
Ella invita a mí a la fiesta.