Personal “a” Guidelines

This tiny one letter word is important to remember because in English there is no difference in the structure of the following sentences:

I saw the book.
I saw John.

Whereas in Spanish this short preposition must precede the direct object if it is a specific person:

Vi el libro.
Vi a Juan.

This “a” is not translated into English, it normally means “to”.
However, to use the “a”, you must be referring to specific people. Hence the title personal “a”. Notice the difference between:

Oigo la orquesta, I hear the orchestra. And
Oigo a los músicos, I hear the musicians.

Conozco a dos artesanos, I know two craftsmen.And
Necesito dos artesanos, I need two craftsmen.
Simple.

However, of course there are exceptions to every rule.

The exceptions
With certain pronouns: This is really more of a clarification rather than an exception. If the pronouns alguien (somebody), nadie (nobody) and quién (whom) appear as direct objects, they must be preceded by the personal “a”. This is also the case when alguno (some) and ninguno (none) refer to people:

No veo a nadie, I don't see anyone.

Quiero golpear la pared, I want to hit the wall.

Quiero golpear a alguien, I want to hit somebody.

¿A quién pertenece esta silla? Whose chair is this?

¿Taxis? No vi ningunos. Taxis? I didn't see any.

¿Taxistas? No vi a ningunos. Taxi drivers? I didn't see any.

To know when to use it for animals, just remember: You will use the personal “a” with your pets and/or other animals with whom you have a personal relationship. You will NOT use the personal “a” with strays, nesting birds, alley cats, squirrels in your back yard, insects, cockroaches and any other animals with whom you do not wish to form an alliance! Easy.

Personification: You might want to personify an object or country to imply some sort of emotional attachment.

Yo extraño mucho al Reino Unido, I very much miss the UK.
Abracé a la muñeca a causa de era mi amiga, I hugged the doll, for she was my friend.
With tener: Generally, the “a” is not used after tener.

Tengo tres hijos y una hija, I have three sons and a daughter.

No tengo jardinero, I don't have a gardener.

BUT
After tener: The personal “a” is used after tener to signify holding someone or to have someone somewhere.

Tengo a mi hijo en los brazos I have my son in my arms.

Tengo a mi hija en el pesebre. I have my daughter in the crib.

The personal “a” can also be used after tener to suggest a particularly close or emotional relationship. Cuando estoy triste y necesito hablar, tengo a mis amigos, when I am sad and need to talk, I have my friends. But tengo amigos, I have friends.

Unfortunately “a” is a very common preposition with numerous uses and translations. Keep these rules in mind for when it precedes a direct object though and you shouldn’t go wrong!