Breakdown of Mi novio ayuda a tu tío y a tu primo.
y
and
mi
my
tu
your (singular)
a
personal a (marks a person object)
ayudar
to help
el tío
the uncle
el primo
the cousin
el novio
the boyfriend
Questions & Answers about Mi novio ayuda a tu tío y a tu primo.
Why is there an a before tu tío and tu primo?
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. Since the boyfriend is helping specific people (your uncle and cousin), this a is required.
Do I really need to use a twice in this sentence?
Does the verb ayuda always need the word a after it?
Not always. The a in this sentence is only here because the boyfriend is helping people. If he were helping a non-living thing, like a company or a cause, you would not use the personal a.
Why does the word tu not have an accent mark here?
The word tu without an accent means "your", which fits perfectly here for "your uncle" (tu tío) and "your cousin" (tu primo). If you add an accent mark, tú becomes the subject pronoun meaning "you".
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