In the latest episode of the Real Fast Spanish tips podcast, we will be looking at another Spanish word that can cause confusion for English students.
Is the letter “a” is a letter or a word? It’s is up for debate. But debates aside, in today’s episode of the Real Fast Spanish tips podcast we will discuss how to use “a” in a Spanish sentence and what some of the common pitfalls are.
Mentioned in the episode
- Previous episode number 7 – How to use verbs like gustar to express your ideas
- Previous episode number 15 – A hack for the past
- Previous episode number 17 – A hack for the future
Examples from today’s episode:
I go to Madrid – Voy a Madrid
I’m going to go to Madrid – Voy a ir a Madrid
I arrived at the party – He llegado a la fiesta
At 7 o’clock – A las siete
At 7 o’clock we are going to eat – A las siete vamos a comer
I work forty hours a week – Trabajo cuarenta horas a la semana
We go to the movies two times a month – Vamos al cine dos veces al mes
I write a letter by hand – Escribo una carta a mano
I like to drink – Me gusta beber
He/She likes to drink – Le gusta beber mucho
He likes to drink a lot – A él le gusta beber mucho
She likes to drink a lot – A ella le gusta beber mucho
Maria likes to work during the morning – A Maria le gusta trabajar por la mañana
The woman cares for her dog – La mujer cuida a su perro
The woman cares for her horse – La mujer cuida de su caballo
I want to learn Spanish – Quiero aprender español
Me as well – Yo también
I like to eat late – Me gusta comer tarde
To me as well – A mi también
Maybe / perhaps – A lo mejor
Perhaps it is going to rain today – A lo mejor va a llover hoy
This episode’s quote:
“A lo mejor escribir no sea más que una de las formas de organizar la locura.” – Isidoro Blaisten
How else could you use “a” in a sentence?
Podcast: Play in new window
Excellent topic! I had a few questions about some sentences I read online, if you don’t mind: ¿A cuál te gustaría ir? Is the “a” necessary because of “ir” or because it is a “gustar” question? Also with “A sabes que” and “A que no sabes a quién vi hoy?” Can you explain why “a” is necessary in these two questions please? Thanks so much!