Log inSign up

Mi hermana escucha a la abuela.

Mi hermana escucha a la abuela.
My sister listens to the grandmother.
From Lesson 46:The family and the personal 'a' (a mi tío, a mi prima)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Mi hermana escucha a la abuela.

Why is there an 'a' before 'la abuela'?
This is the personal a. In Spanish, when the direct object of a verb (the person receiving the action) is a specific person, you must put the word a right before them. Because the grandmother (la abuela) is a specific person, we have to say a la abuela.
Doesn't the verb 'escuchar' already mean 'to listen to'?
Yes, escuchar means 'to listen to' all by itself. For example, if you listen to a thing like music, you just say escucha música without any extra words. The a in this sentence is not a translation of the English word 'to'—it is only here because of the personal a rule for people.
Why is it 'mi hermana' and not 'mía hermana'?
The word mi is a short possessive adjective used right before a noun to mean 'my'. It only changes to match plural nouns (like mis hermanas), but it does not change for masculine or feminine words. Therefore, it is always mi, whether it is mi hermana or mi hermano.
Why does 'escucha' end in an 'a'?
Escucha is the 'he/she/it' form of the verb escuchar (to listen) in the present tense. Because the subject doing the listening is mi hermana (she), you drop the -ar ending from the verb and add -a.

Learn Mi hermana escucha a la abuela and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →