Spanish · B2 · Everyday language
Who Helped with What? in Spanish
This guide focuses on identifying how certain Spanish nouns change when they act as direct or indirect objects in a sentence, specifically focusing on clarifying the roles of people in projects and school settings.
What you'll learn
- Identify the subject and object in complex project-based conversations.
- Use appropriate gender and number agreement for people in different roles.
- Understand the 'Personal A' when referring to specific people as direct objects.
- Express possession and professional roles clearly in a social context.
Spanish phrases for who helped with what?
El chico de tu club de ajedrez ha sugerido una estrategia diferente.
The boy from your chess club has suggested a different strategy.
'El chico' is the subject here, so no 'a' is needed.
¿Le has preguntado al chico de tu grupo qué piensa él?
Have you asked the boy from your group what he thinks?
Uses 'al' (a + el) because the boy is the indirect object.
Por favor, devuélvele al vecino su cable alargador después de la exposición.
Please give the neighbour his extension cable back after the exhibition.
'Al vecino' acts as the indirect object (to whom you return the cable).
Puedes pedirle consejo al estudiante que dirige el club de robótica.
You can ask the student who runs the robotics club for advice.
Common structure: 'pedirle algo a alguien' (to ask someone for something).
Démosle las gracias al fotógrafo por explicar cómo funciona la cámara.
Let's thank the photographer for explaining how the camera works.
In Spanish, we give thanks 'to' (a) the person.
La sugerencia del fotógrafo podría hacer que tu póster sea más eficaz.
The photographer's suggestion could make your poster more effective.
Possession is shown with 'del' (de + el).
No hace falta estar de acuerdo con una persona para tratarla con respeto.
You don't have to agree with a person to treat them respectfully.
'Tratarla' uses the object pronoun 'la' to refer back to 'la persona'.
¿Has tenido en cuenta las preocupaciones del vecino sobre el ruido?
Have you considered the neighbour's concerns about the noise?
'Del vecino' indicates the concerns belong to him.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
el ajedrez
chess
A common school club activity.
el vecino / la vecina
neighbor
Refers to people living nearby.
el fotógrafo / la fotógrafa
photographer
Notice the gendered endings (-o/-a).
la sugerencia
suggestion
Related to the verb 'sugerir'.
The Personal 'A' and Indirect Objects
In Spanish, when a specific person is the object of a verb, we must use the preposition 'a'. If 'a' is followed by 'el', it contracts to 'al'. This clarifies who is performing the action and who is receiving it.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject (Nominative) | El estudiante | El estudiante estudia mucho. (The student studies a lot.) |
| Indirect Object | Al estudiante | Le doy el libro al estudiante. (I give the book to the student.) |
| Possessive (Genitive) | Del estudiante | La mochila del estudiante es roja. (The student's backpack is red.) |
More examples
Vi al fotógrafo en el pasillo.
I saw the photographer in the hallway.
Direct object with 'a personal'.
Hablamos con el chico nuevo.
We spoke with the new boy.
Subject remains unchanged after prepositions like 'con'.