The personal "a"
In Spanish, when the direct object of a sentence is a specific person, you must put the word a right before it. This is called the "personal a". It doesn't translate to anything in English, but leaving it out sounds incomplete to a Spanish speaker.
| I visit my brother in the city. | Visito a mi hermano en la ciudad. |
When asking "whom" you are visiting or interacting with, you must also put the a before the question word quién.
| Whom do you visit today? | ¿A quién visitas hoy? |
The contraction "al"
Just like when talking about destinations, if the personal a is followed by the masculine singular article el (the), they must merge into the contraction al.
| We see the doctor in the hospital. | Vemos al médico en el hospital. |
| They call the old man. | Llaman al hombre viejo. |
Question words: "qué" and "dónde"
Use the question word qué to ask "what". Because "what" refers to a thing and not a person, you do not use the personal a.
| What do you see in the park? | ¿Qué ves en el parque? |
Notice the difference when you are looking for a thing versus looking for a person:
| What are you looking for in your bedroom? | ¿Qué buscas en tu dormitorio? |
| I am looking for the young girl. | Busco a la chica joven. |
Use dónde to ask "where". Even when asking about a location, you still need the personal a or al if a person is the direct object of the verb.
| Where do you wait for your father? | ¿Dónde esperas a tu padre? |
| Where do you see the owner? | ¿Dónde ves al dueño? |
