58.1.4 A+ proper name
The preposition a is also required before a proper name
A Carlos le gustó mucho Granada.
Carlos liked Granada very much.
A Luis y Ana les gusta viajar.
Luis y Ana like travelling.58.1.5 A+ pronoun, to show focus or emphasis
The construction a+ pronoun is also used for emphasis, contrast or in short forms, and
not just with the third person singular or plural. For the first and second person singular
(yo, ‘I’, tú, ‘you’), the pronouns which follow the preposition a are mí and ti
respectively.
A mí me gusta el español. I like Spanish.
A ti te gusta el francés. You like French.
Note also the short positive and negative forms:
A mí también (me gusta). So do I.
A ti tampoco (te gusta). Neither do you.
For all other persons, use subject pronouns (usted, él, ella, nosotros/as, vosotros/as,
ustedes, ellos, ellas).
A nosotros nos gusta el campo.
We like the country.
A ellos no les gusta la playa.
They don’t like the beach.Note that even when me, te, le, etc. become ‘redundant’ in this construction, they
cannot be omitted.8.3 (p. 39)
58.2 Enquiring about likes and dislikes
To ask people about their likes and dislikes, you can use the same constructions as those
for statements but with the proper intonation, as for a question.
¿Te gusta leer?
Do you like reading?
¿Te gustó la novela?
Did you like the novel?
¿A usted le gustan (or¿Le gustan a usted... ?) los escritores
latinoamericanos?
Do you like Latin American writers?
¿La música cubana, te gusta?
Do you like Cuban music?EXPRESSING LIKES AND DISLIKES 58.2