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<p>
	In Spanish, the <strong>direct object</strong> — the object that receives the action of the verb — is preceded by an <strong>a</strong> if the direct object is a <strong>specified person</strong>.
</p>

<table class="ui fixed celled table">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>I'm looking at the television.</td>
			<td>Miro la televisión.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>I'm looking at you.</td>
			<td>Miro <strong>a</strong> usted.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>
	Pets or other animals we care about are also sometimes considered persons in this sense, but not all animals are.
</p>

<table class="ui fixed celled table">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>I'm looking at the fox on the television.</td>
			<td>Miro el zorro en la televisión.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>I'm looking at my dog.</td>
			<td>Miro <strong>a</strong> mi perro.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>
	Persons are only preceded by <strong>a</strong> when they are <strong>specified</strong>.
	Below, in the second sentence you are looking at a specific doctor, whereas in the first sentence any doctor at all is fine, you don't need a specific doctor.
</p>

<table class="ui fixed celled table">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>I need a doctor.</td>
			<td>Necesito médico.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>I'm looking at a doctor.</td>
			<td>Miro <strong>a</strong> un médico.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>
	Personal pronouns are preceded by <strong>a</strong> when they are direct objects.
</p>

<table class="ui fixed celled table">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>I'm looking for someone.</td>
			<td>Busco <strong>a</strong> alguien.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>I'm not looking at anyone.</td>
			<td>No miro <strong>a</strong> nadie.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Whom are you looking for?</td>
			<td>¿Buscas <strong>a</strong> quién?</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>
	When using the verbs <strong>tener</strong> and <strong>hay</strong>, the direct object is not preceded by <strong>a</strong>.
</p>

<table class="ui fixed celled table">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>I have a girlfriend.</td>
			<td>Tengo novia.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>There is a boy in the street.</td>
			<td>Hay un niño en la calle.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>
	Learning this might seem complicated now, but in time your intuition will tell you when to use and when not to use <strong>a</strong>.
</p>

A + direct object

noun

adjective

determiner

verb

adverb

preposition

interjection

conjunction

pronoun

sentence

phrase

unknown

exclamatory

invariant noun

Declinable nouns

Personal subject pronouns 2

The present tense in -ar 2

Articles, nouns and gender

The present tense in -er 2

The present tense in -ir 2

The plural forms of nouns and articles

Adjectives

The days of the week

Estar

Questions

Counting from 16 to 29

Z: Miscellaneous

Irregularities in plural nouns

Invariant nouns

The times of the day

Negation

Personal subject pronouns 1

The present tense in -ar 1

Word order

The present tense in -er 1

The present tense in -ir 1

Deber + infinitive

Word stress

Counting from 0 to 15

Z: Animals

Z: Food

Z: Phrases

Z: Clothing

Diphthongs

Question words

Greeting

Z: Fruits

Z: Vegetables

Colors

Z: Verbs

Meeting

Possessive determiners

Time units

Tener

Demonstratives

Conjunctions 3

Family

Z: Prepositions

Z: Dates and time

Z: The months of the year

Z: Seasons

Z: Household

Tener que + infinitive

Venir

Conjunctions 1: Que

Here and there

Food

Animals

When the indefinite article is not used

Professions

Clothing

Conjunctions 2: And, or

General pronouns and double negation

Z: Conjunctions

Contractions

Z: Sizes

The head and the face

The human body

Organs

Direct object pronouns

Verbs where -o becomes -go

Verbs where e becomes i

Prepositions

Prepositions 2

Possessive pronouns

Verbs where o becomes ue

Counting from 30 to 99

Counting from 100 to 999

01 Gender of nouns

1.2.3

1.2.4

1.2.5

1.2.6

1.2.7

Question	Answer
to look; to look at	mirar
the television	la televisión
I'm looking at the television.	Miro la televisión.
I am looking at you.	Miro a usted.
I'm looking at the fox on the television.	Miro el zorro en la televisión.
I'm looking at my dog.	Miro a mi perro.
to need, to require	necesitar
I need a doctor.	Necesito médico.
I'm looking at a doctor.	Miro a un médico.
to search, to look for	buscar
I'm looking for someone.	Busco a alguien.
Whom are you looking for?	¿Buscas a quién?
the boyfriend	el novio
the girlfriend	la novia
I have a girlfriend.	Tengo novia.
the boy, the kid, the child	el niño
the girl	la niña
the street	la calle
There is a boy in the street.	Hay un niño en la calle.

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