Have you noticed that in Spanish, we often see a verb followed by the preposition “a”? This isn't a random pattern. In this post, we’ll explore some verbs that need this preposition and give you some clear examples.
To summarize, the preposition “a” is generally translated as “to” or “at.” Some verbs need this little vowel in order to give extra information to the sentence or clarify the idea you're trying to express.
For example, if we’re arriving in Buenos Aires today, we would say:
“Hoy llego a Buenos Aires” (Today I arrive in Buenos Aires).
But wait, in English we say “in Buenos Aires.” So why does it change to “a” in Spanish?
Excellent question, my friend. Let me explain: in this context, we use “a” when we’re moving toward something or somewhere, while “en” is used when referring to something that is inside or already in a location.
So, I could say: “Estoy en Buenos Aires” which means I am already in Buenos Aires. But when movement is involved, the preposition changes.
Now, moving forward. How do we know which verbs need the preposition “a”? Let’s take a look at some common verbs that go with “a”, just like a burger with fries!
Empezar means to start, so if we want to express that we’re about to start doing something, we need our little fella "a."
Ejemplo:
Yo quiero empezar a comer saludable.
(I want to start eating healthy.)
If you omit the preposition, your sentence will sound incomplete, and I’m sure you don’t want to sound like a caveman.
Asistir means to attend. When we say asistir, the automatic question is: ¿Asistir a qué? which is why we need the preposition a, to introduce what we are going to attend.
Ejemplo:
Julia asiste a mi fiesta de cumpleaños. (Julia attends to my birthday party) Yo voy a asistir a clases de español. (I’m going to attend to Spanish classes)
Obligar means to force, to force yourself or someone else to do something. Sounds a bit harsh, but we use it all the time in everyday life.
Ejemplo:
La mamá obligó a su hija a limpiar su habitación.
(The mom forced her daughter to clean her room.)
El doctor me obligó a tomar la medicina.
(The doctor forced me to take the medicine.)
I personally love this verb. It means to face. To face a situation, a fear, or someone you don’t like. And let’s be honest, we all have to face a million things every day.
Ejemplo:
Tuve que enfrentarme a mis miedos.
(I had to face my fears.)
Enfrentarse a la verdad no siempre es fácil.
(Facing the truth is not always easy.)
Acostumbrarse means to get used to something. We use a to introduce what we’re getting used to.
Ejemplo:
Tenemos que acostumbrarnos al clima frío de la ciudad.
(We have to get used to the city's cold weather.)
You may already know this one, jugar means to play. But play what? ¿Jugar a qué? Yes! we need the a again.
Ejemplo:
Nosotros jugamos al fútbol. (We play soccer)
Él juega al ajedrez. (He plays chess)
Did you notice I typed ‘al’ instead of ‘a’, didn't you? This is because of the contraction with the article, a + el = al.
Dedicarse is similar to Trabajar. It basically means to dedicate yourself to something or to spend time doing something. To introduce what you do, we use a.
Ejemplo:
Yo me dedico a salvar perros.
(I dedicate myself to saving dogs.)
Tú te dedicas a leer poesía.
(You dedicate yourself to reading poetry.)
Parecerse is used to express similarities between people or objects.
Ejemplo:
¿Se parece a quién? -¡Se parece a Brad Pitt!
(Who does he look like? - He looks like Brad Pitt!)
Ese lápiz se parece a un bolígrafo.
(That pencil looks like a pen.)
And this is our final verb. Ir + a is one of the most common structures in Spanish to talk about the near future.
Ejemplo:
Yo voy a la escuela.
(I’m going to school.)
Yo voy a comer pizza esta noche.
(I’m going to eat pizza tonight.)
Our language is full of beauty and details to discover. Some verbs go hand in hand with specific prepositions, and if you use a different one, the meaning can change completely!
Today, you learned some verbs with the preposition a in Spanish, and I’m sure there are many more I can show you as you keep exploring this beautiful language.
Did you find any of these tricky?
Do you know other verbs with prepositions in Spanish?
Or maybe you’d like a little extra info?
Leave us a comment, we’d love to hear from you!