Many verbs in Spanish are followed by the preposition “a” and are followed by an infinitive. Here is a list of them with an example.

acercarse a – to approach. El hombre se me acercó a pedirme un cigarrillo. [The man approached me to ask for a cigarette.]

acertar a – to happen. Acertó a pasar por allí un caballero. [A man happened to go by there.]

acostumbrarse a – to be/get used to. Espero que ya te hayas acostumbrado a tu nuevo empleo. [I hope you’ve gotten used to your new job.]

alcanzar a – to manage to. No alcancé a verlo mientras estaba aquí. [I didn’t manage to see him while he was here.]

animar a – to encourage to. Me animé a participar del concurso. [I plucked up some courage to take part in the contest.]

aprender a – to learn to. Aprendí a hablar español en Chile. [I learned to speak Spanish in Chile.]

atreverse a – to dare to. No se atreverán a echarnos de la fiesta por no llevar corbata. [They won’t dare to kick us out of the party for not wearing ties.]

ayudar a – to help. ¿Me ayudas a estudiar para la prueba? [Can you help me study for the test?]

comenzar a – to begin to. Comencé a prepararme para mi viaje en marzo. [I began to prepare for my trip in March.]

comprometerse a – to undertake to, to commit oneself to. Me comprometo a pagarte cuando reciba mi sueldo. [I promise to pay you when I get my salary.]

convidar a – to invite to, to have a desire to. Este mar tan tranquilo convida a darse un baño. [This calm sea invites us to bathe.]

cuidar a – to take care of. Cuídale al niño mientras esté fuera. [Take care of the boy while I’m out.]

decidirse a – to decide to. Por fin se ha decidido a terminar la tesis. [She finally decided to finish her thesis.]

dedicarse a – to devote oneself to. Se dedicó a trabajar con los pobres toda la vida. [She devoted herself to working with the poor all her life.]

desafiar a – to challenge to. Te desafío a aprender francés en un ãno. [I challenge you to learn French in one year.]

disponerse a – to get ready to. Se dispuso a ayudarme, como siempre. [He was ready and willing to help me, as always.]

echar(se) a – to begin to. Echó a correr. [He began to run.]

empezar a – to begin to, to start to. ¿Cuándo empezaste a estudiar español? [When did you start studying Spanish?]

enseñar a – to teach to, show how to. Enséñame a hacer eso. [Teach me how to do this.]

forzar a – to force to. Nadie puede forzarte a hacer lo que no quieras. [Nobody can force you to do what you don’t want to.]

Remember that reading and listening will help you to improve your fluency and when to use such verbs. One day at a time!

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