Repeated “a”, and “dativo de interés”(1) In this sentence the personal “a” is repeated: “ A Pedro y a Pablo les cantaron una canción por su despedida”.
However in this sentence the second “a” is omitted: “ (Les) cantaron una canción a Pedro y Pablo por su despedida.”
Is the second “a” arbitrary or is there a rule for when to omit it?
(2) I notice two uses of IO pronouns in the examples and questions.
The first is the common usage such as giving something to someone, saying something to someone, or taking something from someone. This usage always has a direct object.
The second usage is from a lesson from a higher level, called the “dativo de interés”, which has an entirely different meaning altogether. Instead of always having a DO and giving the DO to someone, there may not be a directobject at all (intransitive verbs), and the IO simply emphasizes that someone is affected by the action.
Sometimes there is a DO: Mi hija pequeña no me come nada.
and sometimes there is not: Ayer nos cayó un buen chaparrón.
Inma’s answer to Thea reflects this type of usage.
Spanish dativo de interés - specific use of Spanish indirect object pronouns
So there are different layers to the usage of the IO.
Could you make a lesson contrasting the different types of IO usage? It could be useful for many of us.
Looking forward to seeing some content here.
Gracias
As equivalent English examples, may I suggest:
To be opened with care.
To be applied...
rather than "Let it be opened..." etc?
>In sentences where the indirect object is represented by "a + pronoun", and it is at the beginning of the sentence, for example "a mí, a tí, a ella", it is necessary to repeat the indirect object by using the "short" pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les) in the same sentence.
I think this should be reworded. That "and it is at the beginning of the sentence" makes it seem like you don't need the shrot pronoun if you put the "a + pronoun" elsewhere in the sentence. I know one of the examples and the little tip box later clarify this, but I still think rewording that paragraph would help.
In the test question, How would you say "I have eaten only fruit for a week."?, the answer was Desde hace una semana solo como fruta.
But I chose Desde hace una semana solo he comido fruta. Why isn't that one correct, given the "have eaten?"
My bad, it just wasn’t clear. Would help is the form structure in the first part would read something like: Haber (past) + estado + present participle
Why is estaba used in the sentence-
Después del baño, estaba muy calmado y feliz.
Why not era. Is it because describing feeling in the past?
(1) In this sentence the personal “a” is repeated: “ A Pedro y a Pablo les cantaron una canción por su despedida”.
However in this sentence the second “a” is omitted: “ (Les) cantaron una canción a Pedro y Pablo por su despedida.”
Is the second “a” arbitrary or is there a rule for when to omit it?
(2) I notice two uses of IO pronouns in the examples and questions.
The first is the common usage such as giving something to someone, saying something to someone, or taking something from someone. This usage always has a direct object.
The second usage is from a lesson from a higher level, called the “dativo de interés”, which has an entirely different meaning altogether. Instead of always having a DO and giving the DO to someone, there may not be a directobject at all (intransitive verbs), and the IO simply emphasizes that someone is affected by the action.
Sometimes there is a DO: Mi hija pequeña no me come nada.
and sometimes there is not: Ayer nos cayó un buen chaparrón.
Inma’s answer to Thea reflects this type of usage.
Spanish dativo de interés - specific use of Spanish indirect object pronouns
So there are different layers to the usage of the IO.
Could you make a lesson contrasting the different types of IO usage? It could be useful for many of us.
I am having trouble understanding the difference between "perderse" and "perder" in the context of missing an opportunity. For example, if you were talking to someone about not coming to a move with you, could you say "perdiste la oportunidad de ver la pelicula"? Could you also say "te perdiste la pelicula"? Would both of these be correct?
I was searching for a little information on reflexive verbs and ended up with the best lesson yet! By following the links at Reflexive verbs I found so much valuable information that I'll be breathless for the next few days as I absorb it all . . .Thanks Inma
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