11.9.2

'A' & 'De'

Test yourself

'A' and 'De'

Here are the uses of the preposition 'a':

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'A'

  • When the action of the sentence is happening to a person, you need a personal 'a'.
    • Yo llamo a mi madre.
      • I call my mum.
    • No veo a nadie
      • I cannot see anyone.
    • Mi hermana quiere ayudar a mucha gente.
      • My sister wants to help a lot of people.
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'A'

  • 'A' is used when you want to talk about the idea of travelling.
  • When 'el' is used right after 'a' it becomes 'al'.
    • Voy a el cine → voy al cine.
      • I am going to the cinema.
    • Iremos a la playa.
      • We will go to the beach.
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Specific verbs

  • There are specific verbs that use 'a' after them.
    • Ayudar a (to help to).
    • Empezar a (to start to).
    • Ir a (to go to).
    • Llegar a (to arrive at).
    • Volver a (to return to).
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'De'

  • 'De' is used as a preposition to show who something belongs to.
    • Es la camisa de mi hermana.
      • It is the shirt of my sister.
  • 'De' is also used to show where something is from or started.
    • Soy de Colombia.
      • I am from Colombia.
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'De' after some verbs

  • There are specific verbs that use de.
    • Tratarse de (to be about).
    • Acabar de (to have just).
    • Tratar de (to try to).

Jump to other topics

1The Basics

2Everyday Activities

3Personal & Social Life

4The World Around Us

5The World of Work

6The International World

7Listening

7.1Time Expressions - Listening

7.2The Human Body & Health - Listening

7.3Food & Drink - Listening

7.4Travel & Transport - Listening

7.5Self, Family & Friends - Listening

7.6In the Home - Listening

7.7Colours - Listening

7.8Clothes & Accesories - Listening

7.9Leisure Time - Listening

7.10People & Places - Listening

7.11The Environment - Listening

7.12Communications & Technology - Listening

7.13The Built Environment - Listening

7.14Measurements - Listening

7.15Materials - Listening

7.16The World of Work - Listening

7.17Culture, Customs, Faith & Celebrations

8Common Tenses

8.1Present Tense

8.2Preterite Tense

8.3Imperfect Tense

8.4Preterite vs Imperfect Tenses

8.5Future Tense

9Important Verbs

10Advanced Tenses

10.1Future

10.2Conditional

10.3Continuous Tenses

10.4Perfect Tense

10.5Passive

10.6Present Subjunctive

10.7Imperfect Subjunctive

10.8Imperative

11Extra Grammar

11.1Articles

11.2Negatives

11.3Nouns

11.4Asking Questions

11.5Adjectives

11.6Adverbs

11.7Conjunctions

11.8Pronouns

11.9Prepositions

11.10Verbs

11.11Comparisons & Superlative

11.12Numbers, Expressions of Quantity, Dates & Times

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