Ellos invitan a mi primo y a mi prima.

Questions & Answers about Ellos invitan a mi primo y a mi prima.

Why is there an a before mi primo and mi prima?
This is the personal a. In Spanish, when the direct object (the person receiving the action of the verb) is a specific person, you must put the word a right before it. Since the cousins are specific people being invited, they need this marker.
Do we always have to repeat the a after y (and)? Couldn't we just say a mi primo y mi prima?
Yes, you need to repeat it! When you have a list of people receiving the action of the verb, Spanish requires you to put the personal a before each individual person in that list, even if they are connected by y.
The translation says they "are inviting". Doesn't invitan just mean "they invite"?
It can mean both! In Spanish, the simple present tense like invitan is often used for things happening right now (they are inviting) as well as general routines (they invite). You figure out which one it is based on the context.
In English we just say "cousin". Do I always have to use primo for males and prima for females?
Yes, Spanish nouns for people change endings to match their gender. You use primo for a male cousin and prima for a female cousin. If you wanted to say "my cousins" as a mixed group of males and females, you would use the masculine plural: mis primos.

Learn Ellos invitan a mi primo y a mi prima 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