Future simple

9. PERSONAL A

While very simple to use, forgetting to use the “personal a ” is one of the most common mistakes for learners of Spanish.

The rule says that in Spanish, when the direct object of a sentence is a person or a group of people, it must be preceded by the preposition a: He visto a tu hermana – I have seen your sister He visto una película – I have seen a film

(The direct object of a sentence is the noun or pronoun that receives the action of a verb. For instance, if the verb is “I have bought” the direct object is what the person speaking has bought: I have bought a new car)

Sometimes we use the personal a when we talk about pets (but not when talking about animals you don’t feel any attachment to): He llevado a mi gato al veterinario – I have taken my cat to the vet. He visto un gato callejero – I have seen a stray cat.

We also use it with sports teams, the government or other organisations: Voy a ver al Real Madrid – I am going to see Real Madrid Odio al gobierno – I hate the government Hay que respetar a la Policía – You have to respect the Police.

We never use the personal a with the verbs “tener” or “hay” (in any tense): Tengo una hermana – I have a sister Hay mil personas – There are 1000 people

Finally, if the direct object mentions more than one person, you need the personal a before each of them: Voy a visitar a mi padre y a mi madre. Y después a mis abuelos. I am going to visit my dad and my mum. And then my grandparents.