La psicóloga escucha con calma a mi amiga ansiosa.

The psychologist listens calmly to my anxious friend.

Breakdown of La psicóloga escucha con calma a mi amiga ansiosa.

• mi: my
• con: with
• a: to
• escuchar: to listen

Questions & Answers about La psicóloga escucha con calma a mi amiga ansiosa.

Why is there an a before mi amiga ansiosa? In English we don’t say “listens to my anxious friend” as something special for people.

That a is the personal a in Spanish.

• In Spanish, a direct object that is a person (or a loved animal) is usually introduced by a.

  • La psicóloga escucha a mi amiga. – The psychologist listens to my friend.

• Grammatically, mi amiga ansiosa is still the direct object of escucha; the a doesn’t turn it into an indirect object. It just marks that the direct object is a person.

With things, you don’t normally use the personal a:

• La psicóloga escucha la radio. – The psychologist listens to the radio. (no a)

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Does escuchar always need a after it, like a preposition, or only sometimes?