WE HAVEN'T FED THE CROCODILES TODAY

Hola amigos I have a question related to several sentences that I came across recently in a Spanish lesson on the subject of wild animals. Here are a few examples. No hemos alimentado a los cocodrilos hoy. No hemos visto a los elefantes esta tarde. Los leones han asustado a las cebras. I don't understand why the letter A appears before each direct object in these examples. Years ago I learned that Spanish requires a "personal A" if the direct object is a person or a group of persons. But I don't remember this rule applying also to animals. Are these examples related to the "personal A" rule and, if so, does the rule apply also to birds and insects and other living creatures? Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

See this. http://spanish.about.com/cs/grammar/a/personal_a.htm The personal a can be used with beloved pets, but I wouldn't expect it in the examples you provided. Based on what I have read and learned, I would not use it in your examples.

Hi OscarLake Thanks for your two replies to my recent Spanish grammar questions. I appreciate your help very much. Thanks also for the valuable link to the "About.com" web site. I will be visiting it regularly in the future. Best wishes.

Con gusto!