Breakdown of El problema avergonzó al alumno.
al
to the
el alumno
the student
el problema
the problem
avergonzar
to embarrass
Questions & Answers about El problema avergonzó al alumno.
Why is al alumno used instead of just el alumno?
Because this sentence uses the personal a.
In Spanish, when the direct object is a specific person, animal, or personified being, you normally put a before it. Since el alumno is a specific person, it becomes:
- a el alumno → al alumno
So al here is just the contraction of a + el.
Compare:
- Veo la mesa = I see the table
- Veo al alumno = I see the student
The a does not mean to here. It is just the marker for a personal direct object.
How do I know that el problema is the subject and al alumno is the object?
The verb form tells you.
Avergonzó is third person singular, so the subject must be singular. Both el problema and el alumno are singular, but al alumno has the personal a, which strongly signals that it is the object, not the subject.
So the structure is:
- El problema = subject
- avergonzó = verb
- al alumno = direct object
- The problem embarrassed the student
This is a very common pattern in Spanish, even if English learners sometimes expect the person to be the subject.
What tense is avergonzó?