Ch 28 · Lesson 19Spanish · Chapter 28 · Lesson 19 · Grammar primer
Buscar, esperar, escuchar: no preposition
, , : the verbs that already contain the English for, at or to. Plus the mistakes.
The short version
.
Why?Hide
The mirror is just as common. , , , and already bake the English preposition into their meaning, so adding one is wrong: , not ; , not . The one wrinkle is the personal a before a specific person, which is a different rule doing its job.
Verbs that take no preposition
The reverse trap: these verbs already contain the English preposition, so they take a plain object:
| English | Spanish | English sentence |
|---|---|---|
| look for | . | I'm looking for work. |
| ask for | . | I asked for the bill. |
| wait for | . | I'm waiting for the bus. |
| look at | . | Look at the moon. |
| listen to | . | I'm listening to the radio. |
| pay for | . | I paid for dinner. |
A person as the object takes the personal a, which is not a preposition the verb chose: . (I'm waiting for my mother). is heard in parts of Latin America, but the plain object is standard everywhere.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| takes con | |
| me con | | takes |
| me María | María | takes con |
| takes a | |
| (stopped) | | stop doing is |
| already means look for | |
| bus | | already means wait for |
Going further: Verbs and their prepositions at a glance and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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