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The Spanish personal "a"This is the place for questions about conjugations, verb tenses, adverbs, adjectives, word order, syntax and other grammar questions for English or Spanish. |
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The Spanish personal "a"
It says in the spanish grammar book that I'm studying that personal "a" can be treated as a sign of respect (to a person). In this context, is it correct to use "a" when referring to el ladrón? Example: Ellos descubren a un ladrón en la casa. I'm confused because of the above explanation.
Again the book explains that personal "a" is not used when the direct object is a pet or other animals. But then the first example given is: Amo a mi preciosa gata, Princesa. Please clarify for me. Thank you in advance.
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#2
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The personal 'a' is used to signify that the direct object that follows is a person, regardless of formality/informality or status. In other words, the grammar book should say nothing about it being a sign of respect.
Some people treat their pet as if it were a person, so they will use the personal 'a' when their 'little person' is a direct object, like the gata preciosa you mentioned. |
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