'A' & 'De'
Spanish: Cambridge International GCSE, topic 11.9.2
'A' and 'De'
Here are the uses of the preposition 'a':
'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.
'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.
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).
'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.
'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).
Test yourself on 'A' & 'De'
How do you say 'to try to' in Spanish?