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Protejo a mi familia.

Protejo a mi familia.
I protect my family.
FromLesson 8inHardcore Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of Protejo a mi familia.

la familia
the family
yo
I
mi
my
a
to
proteger
to protect

Questions & Answers about Protejo a mi familia.

Why is protejo spelled with a j instead of a g?
In Spanish, verbs ending in -ger or -gir change the g to j in the first-person singular present tense (yo form) to maintain the correct pronunciation. That’s why proteger becomes protejo instead of protego.
Why do we need the word a before mi familia?
Spanish uses the personal a before a direct object that is a person or a group of people (or even pets, in many cases) to show respect or emphasis on that person as a direct object. Therefore, you write protejo a mi familia rather than protejo mi familia.
Can I leave out the personal a in this sentence?
No. In standard Spanish, the personal a is required whenever the direct object is a person or group of people that you care about or is specific. Omitting it would be grammatically incorrect.
How do I conjugate proteger in the present tense?

• Yo protejo
• Tú proteges
• Él/Ella/Usted protege
• Nosotros protegemos
• Vosotros protegéis
• Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes protegen

The only notable spelling change is in the yo form (protejo).

If I say estoy protegiendo a mi familia, does it mean the same thing?
They are similar, but estoy protegiendo a mi familia puts emphasis on the action happening right now (the present continuous), while protejo a mi familia is a simple present statement indicating a general fact or habitual action.
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