Hi Paul, here is the answer with several examples so that you can understand well: ☆☆ The Personal "a" ____________________ ✔ In Spanish, when the direct object is a person, it is preceded by the preposition "a." This word has no English translation. From the perspective of the English speaker, the personal "a" appears to be an extra word. From the perspective of the Spanish speaker, the personal "a" is required, and to not use it is a serious error. → Jorge llama a María. ✔ The personal "a" may also be used if the direct object is a domesticated animal, especially a pet, provided that the speaker attaches some sort of personal feelings towards the animal. → La mujer acaricia a su perro (The woman pets her dog). → El perro persigue a la gata (The dog chases the cat). ✔ The personal "a" is not used when the direct object is not a person or is an animal for which no personal feelings are felt. → Bebo la leche (I drink the milk) → milk is neither a person nor an animal → Miro la jirafa (I look at the giraffe) → no personal feelings are felt towards the giraffe ✔ The personal "a" is not used after the verb tener, or the verb form hay. This is true even if the direct object is a person. → Tengo dos hermanos (I have two brothers). → Hay cinco chicas (There are five girls). ✔ If the direct object is an indefinite person, the personal "a" is not used. The result is that the person becomes "depersonalized". → Necesito un médico (I need [any] doctor). → Necesito un jardinero (I need [any] gardener) Because this Spanish grammatical structure has no equivalent in English, it is normal to expect that the student will forget to use it until a pattern of use has been established. I sincerely hope this helps you, Paul. Kind regards.

Same thing as in english. I see man and woman. it sounds wrong right? I see a man and a woman. = Veo a un hombre y a una mujer.

This can aswer your question: http://www.practicaespanol.com/es/objeto-directo-e-indirecto/art/208/

I'm just learning Spanish, but this is called a personal "a." It doesn't translate to anything in English. You have to put it before direct objects in Spanish when the direct object is a person. Some Spanish speakers also seem to use the personal "a" with their pets. If you were to say "I see the book." in Spanish, you would not use that "a," but if you were to say "I see Senor Blanco." you would have to use the "a" before El Senor Blanco. Once again, you don't translate that "a" into anything in English. It is just telling you that a person is coming up as the direct object of the verb. I'm just a beginner in Spanish, so I'm not the best person to answer Spanish questions, but I thought I could explain it to you.

I think some verbs need it to make sense, as in English you need to put TO or AT after a verb. Just like in "I listen TO music" and "I look AT them". "A" indica a quién o quiénes estás viendo.