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What is the purpose of the "a" in this sentence?

 

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Old January 31, 2022, 09:25 PM
createdamadman createdamadman is offline
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What is the purpose of the "a" in this sentence?

So, there's a man doing "un rapel" and he's narrating. There's a waterfall to the side of him and he says the following:





"Tenemos a la cascada de Chipitín al lado y es de 95 metros de altura."




I figure this means "We have the waterfall to the side and it's 95 meters in height". But I was initially thrown by the "a" before "la cascada". Is this a personal "a"? But then why would it be used before a waterfall? Perhaps because it is a cherished landmark or something?
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Old January 31, 2022, 11:44 PM
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Many folks use the preposition 'a' after 'aquí tenemos' when what they're presenting to you is known to them (like the Chipitín Waterfall in your example), but the listener does not know about it.

As you know, a speaker always uses a personal 'a' when presenting/introducing a person to you, using the same 'aquí tenemos' opening. They'll introduce the person either by name or by a noun that describes/references the person (like stating their occupation, status, or title).

Last edited by Rusty; January 31, 2022 at 11:46 PM.
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