explain this. : te invito a ti y a nadie más

I don't understand the “ti”. why can't I say “  Te estoy invitando y nadie más”

¡Hola jrsundy!

Thanks for your question! I'll break my answer up into two parts, to make it easier to read. 

1. Why the ti?
The ti in the sentence Te invito a ti y a nadie más “(I) am inviting you and no one else” is there to provide extra emphasis on “you” - kind of as though you're saying “I am inviting you and only you, no one else." 

Grammatically, it would technically be possible to also say Te invito y a nadie más. However, since we're already stressing the point of nadie más “no one else,” it's sounds more natural to also include that redundant, underlining ti for extra stress. 

2. Why invito and not estoy invitando?
It is also possible to use the present continuous (i.e. to say Te estoy invitando), as you've suggested, instead of the present simple (i.e. Te invito). However, using the present continous (i.e. the “-ing” form) stresses the fact that the action is going on right now. So unless you wanted to indicate to someone “I am inviting you right now,” it's more natural to use the present simple.


All of these rules can get a bit confusing when you're starting out with Spanish, but don't worry: as you get exposed to more Spanish, it will all start to fall into place!

I imagine that you're currently working on Lesson 5.6: "'Me' and 'Her': Direct Object Pronouns." To help you get a better understanding of the points in the first explanation above, I would recommend reading through the section “Using Prepositional Pronouns With A” one more time to see if, after this explanation, it's all starting to make more sense. (If it's still quite confusing, do feel free to ask more questions about it!)

If you'd like to get some more in-depth clarification about the second explanation above, I'd recommend checking out the section “Which Present Should You Use?” in Lesson 4.6: When Something Is Happening. 

I hope that this helps! Again, don't hesitate to ask if you still have questions!

Saludos,

Liss