When to use "a"

Question

As stated by one example, "Yo conocí a Susana hace 6 meses."However, as stated by another, "Hablé con Clara hace 2 horas." Why didn't the second example utilize "a"Is it because "con" had already been used?

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Adelle Melyssa M.
Great observation, Adelle! The reason we say "Yo conocí a Susana" but "Hablé con Clara" has to do with the verbs and how they interact with people as objects.
In Spanish, the “personal a” is used when a direct object is a specific person or pet — like in “conocí a Susana”. The verb conocer takes a direct object, and since Susana is a person, we add the “a”.
On the other hand, hablar is used with the preposition "con" because you're not acting upon the person — you're interacting with them. So in “Hablé con Clara”, Clara is not a direct object; she’s the person you spoke with, hence no "a" is needed.
So yes — the difference comes from how each verb functions, not just from the presence of another preposition.
Hope that clears it up!
Saludos
Silvia