“Veo a María”: the “a” that English cannot see
CEFR A1 · part 2
edumaterial's parts within the level. The European framework does not subdivide them.
“Me gusta”: the sentence turns roundBuilding sentences with “gustar”, “encantar”, “doler”, “interesar” and “faltar”: the…“Tengo 20 años”, “hace frío”Using “tener” for age, hunger, thirst, cold, fear and being right, and “hacer” for the…“Hay” or “está”Saying that something exists with “hay”, and saying where a known thing is with “estar”.“No tengo nada”: two negatives are rightBuilding negative sentences with “nada”, “nadie”, “nunca”, “ninguno” and “tampoco”…“Quiero”, “puedo”, “duermo”: verbs that change insideThe three patterns —“e” to “ie”, “o” to “ue”, “e” to “i”— and the shape they make: every…“Ser” or “estar”: two verbs for one “to be”Choosing between “ser” and “estar” in everyday sentences: who you are and what you are…The rule, in three lines
When the direct object of a verb is a PERSON, Spanish puts a in front of it: veo a María, busco a mi hermano, conozco a tu padre. With a thing there is nothing: veo la casa, busco mi libro.
The usual slip. Leaving it out, because in English nothing separates “I see Maria” from “I see the house”.
Why it catches you out. Your language marks nothing at all here: the object goes after the verb and that is the end of it. Spanish adds a preposition that means nothing you can translate, which makes it the easiest thing in the course to forget — and one of the ones that most marks a sentence as foreign. The test is mechanical: is the object a person?