Spanish · Chapter 13 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
The personal a
The little 'a' Spanish puts before a specific person (or pet) that is the direct object - and the cases where it disappears.
The short version
Tener is the exception to the personal a
The personal a marks a specific human direct object: veo a María, but veo la casa. The exception that catches over-correctors is tener, which drops the a for plain possession. Tengo dos hermanos, never tengo a dos hermanos. The a comes back only when tener means keeping someone rather than having them: tengo a mi madre en casa.
Tengo dos hermanos.
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