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.<\/p>\n
acercarse a<\/strong> – to approach. El hombre se me acerc\u00f3 a<\/strong> pedirme un cigarrillo. [The man approached me to ask for a cigarette.]<\/em><\/p>\n acertar a<\/strong> – to happen. Acert\u00f3 a<\/strong> pasar por all\u00ed un caballero. [A man happened to go by there.]<\/em><\/p>\n acostumbrarse a<\/strong> – to be\/get used to. Espero que ya te hayas acostumbrado a<\/strong> tu nuevo empleo. [I hope you’ve gotten used to your new job.]<\/em><\/p>\n alcanzar a<\/strong> – to manage to. No alcanc\u00e9 a<\/strong> verlo mientras estaba aqu\u00ed. [I didn’t manage to see him while he was here.]<\/em><\/p>\n animar a<\/strong> – to encourage to. Me anim\u00e9 a<\/strong> participar del concurso. [I plucked up some courage to take part in the contest.]<\/em><\/p>\n aprender a<\/strong> – to learn to. Aprend\u00ed a<\/strong> hablar espa\u00f1ol en Chile. [I learned to speak Spanish in Chile.]<\/em><\/p>\n atreverse a<\/strong> – to dare to. No se atrever\u00e1n a<\/strong> echarnos de la fiesta por no llevar corbata. [They won’t dare to kick us out of the party for not wearing ties.]<\/em><\/p>\n ayudar a<\/strong> – to help. \u00bfMe ayudas a<\/strong> estudiar para la prueba? [Can you help me study for the test?]<\/em><\/p>\n comenzar a<\/strong> – to begin to. Comenc\u00e9 a<\/strong> prepararme para mi viaje en marzo. [I began to prepare for my trip in March.]<\/em><\/p>\n comprometerse a<\/strong> – to undertake to, to commit oneself to. Me comprometo a<\/strong> pagarte cuando reciba mi sueldo. [I promise to pay you when I get my salary.]<\/em><\/p>\n convidar a<\/strong> – to invite to, to have a desire to. Este mar tan tranquilo convida a<\/strong> darse un ba\u00f1o. [This calm sea invites us to bathe.]<\/em><\/p>\n cuidar a<\/strong> – to take care of. Cu\u00eddale a<\/strong>l ni\u00f1o mientras est\u00e9 fuera. [Take care of the boy while I’m out.]<\/em><\/p>\n decidirse a<\/strong> – to decide to. Por fin se ha decidido a<\/strong> terminar la tesis. [She finally decided to finish her thesis.]<\/em><\/p>\n dedicarse a<\/strong> – to devote oneself to. Se dedic\u00f3 a<\/strong> trabajar con los pobres toda la vida. [She devoted herself to working with the poor all her life.]<\/em><\/p>\n desafiar a<\/strong> – to challenge to. Te desaf\u00edo a<\/strong> aprender franc\u00e9s en un \u00e3no. [I challenge you to learn French in one year.]<\/em><\/p>\n disponerse a<\/strong> – to get ready to. Se dispuso a<\/strong> ayudarme, como siempre. [He was ready and willing to help me, as always.]<\/em><\/p>\n echar(se) a<\/strong> – to begin to. Ech\u00f3 a<\/strong> correr. [He began to run.]<\/em><\/p>\n empezar a<\/strong> – to begin to, to start to. \u00bfCu\u00e1ndo empezaste a<\/strong> estudiar espa\u00f1ol? [When did you start studying Spanish?]<\/em><\/p>\n ense\u00f1ar a<\/strong> – to teach to, show how to. Ens\u00e9\u00f1ame a<\/strong> hacer eso. [Teach me how to do this.]<\/em><\/p>\n forzar a<\/strong> – to force to. Nadie puede forzarte a<\/strong> hacer lo que no quieras. [Nobody can force you to do what you don’t want to.]<\/em><\/p>\n Remember that reading and listening will help you to improve your fluency and when to use such verbs. One day at a time!<\/p>\n