Preposition "a";
Pronunciation: a (click on it to listen)
Origins: "A" comes from the Latin "Ad".
English equivalents: at, to
Uses:
| 1. | The preposition "a"is used with verbs (and nouns) that express idea of movement, ordestination: · Voy a Estados Unidos el año próximo. (I am going to the Unite States next year.) · El tren llegó a la estación. (The train arrived at the station) · El plato cayó al suelo. (The dish felt to the floor.) - Note that “al" is the contraction for ‘a + el’ |
| 2. | To express position: · Estoy al final del pasillo. (I am at the end of the corridor.) |
| 3. | ‘A’ is also used to connect a verb of movement and an infinitive. · Ana va a ver una película. (Ana is going to watch a film). |
| 4. | In expressions of time: · Pedro llegó a las cinco. (Peter arrived at five o’clock.) · Yo termino mi trabajo a mediodía. (I finish my work at noon.) |
| 5. | As personal ‘a’. This is when the preposition ‘a’ is used with a Direct Object that refers to a person. Direct Objects others that those refereeing to persons, don’t use the preposition “a", but when those D.O. refer to people, this preposition is used: · Él conoció a María hace dos años. (He met María two years ago.) In this example, “María" is the Direct Object but, as it refers to a person, we use the preposition “a". This is valid for any verb except for “tener"; with this verb, we don’t use any “a" preposition with the D.O.. (i.e.: “Yo tengo dos hermanos") |
| 6. | With Indirect Objects: · He comprado un libro a mi hermano. (I bought a book for my brother.) |
| 7. | A + QUIEN, used as the equivalent to WHOM · ¿A quién viste ayer? Whom did you see yesterday? |
| 8. | To express the method used to do something. · Esta joya está hecha a mano. (This jewel is made by hand) · El va a la escuela a pie. He goes to school by foot . |
| 9. | To express rates or prices: · Al nueve por ciento. (At nine per cent). · Ellos venden los libros a tres dólares. (They sell the books at three dollars) |
| 10. | We can express distance between two points with Estar + a: · Mi colegio está a dos kilómetros de tu casa. (My school is two kilometers away from your home). |
These are the main uses for this Spanish preposition. This section will be updated soon so... get tuned!!
As always, for any question or comment, e-mail me or go to the Spanish Forum and post it.¡Hasta pronto!
Recommended material:
You can find below some materials / web pages that, from my point of view, can be useful and interesting:
| Spanish Prepositions | ::: About Simple and Compound Spanish Prepositions; Personal A, Possessive De, Spanish Prepositions used wih verbs and much more. |
| Visual Link Spanish | ::: Visual Link Spanish™ teaches you how to build sentences, ask and answer questions, and truly communicate in Spanish. Free lessons: Sentence Building, Advanced Sentences, Numbers, Colors, Verbs, Locations, Daily Objects, Restaurant, Sports and Hobbies, Rent-a-Car, Bank and more. Just click, listen and repeat! |
| BBC.co.uk - Spanish Prepositions | ::: Practice the Spanish prepositions with 6 stories. |
| Think Spanish! Magazine | ::: I write monthly articles for "Think Spanish" ("Piensa en español") since 2002. All "Think Spanish" articles are written in Spanish, and they include a Spanish/English glossary. You'll also have the option to buy this magazine including a CD. Nice way to learn about Spanish language and customs! |
Online Exercises
| Spanish Prepositions - Colby College Exercises | ::: Click on the image and hold the cursor down to navigate through the room. Great!! |
| Pronouns as Objects of Prepositions Quiz | ::: Advanced. You have to choose the correct pronoun. |
Recommended Books and DVDs
| Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Pronouns And Prepositions | ::: This book helps students develop their knowledge of how and why pronouns and prepositions are used. Plus it encourages students to use the pronouns and prepositions in real-life contexts. |
Spanish I (Cliffs Quick Review) (Paperback) | ::: This book is meant to provide all the foundations of basic Spanish pronunciation, spelling, and sentence construction. Spanish grammar is systematically explained in its most simplistic way. |
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