Does the verb "costar" always take the preposition "a" when referring to the person OR entity upon which the cost is falling? Here, "los gobiernos" are not people or favorite pets, yet the personal a is apparently indicated.
preposition after verb
- « Back to Q&A Forum
- « Previous questionNext question »
Hola Gerald
Here the preposition "a" in "Este proyecto les costará a los gobiernos millones de dólares" is used to introduce the indirect object "los gobiernos". When we use the verb costar we often say the person (or entity in this case) the cost falls upon, and we say it using "a". For example:
La falda me costó 30 euros.
The skirt cost me 30 euros.
¿Cuánto le ha costado a tu madre esa pulsera?
How much did the bracelet cost your mother?
This is a different function to the personal a. The personal a is used with direct objects if they are people or related to people:
Visitamos a Carlos en el hospital.
We visited Carlos at the hospital.
No hemos conocido al nuevo personal todavía.
We haven't met the new staff yet.
I hope this clarified it.
Saludos
Inma
Gerald R. asked:View original
preposition after verb
Does the verb "costar" always take the preposition "a" when referring to the person OR entity upon which the cost is falling? Here, "los gobiernos" are not people or favorite pets, yet the personal a is apparently indicated.
Don't have an account yet? Join today
Ask a question
Find your Spanish level for FREE
Test your Spanish to the CEFR standard
Find your Spanish level