Forgotten so much Spanish...

[beth_leonard]

I'm trying to translate a very basic Spanish "Bob book" for the kids, but I've forgotten too much Spanish. The structure I'm having trouble with is, "Mi mamá me ama. Mi mamá me ama a mí." So I would think the first one is "My mother loves me." (which Google translate confirms) but then I get confused with the second one. "My mother loves me to me?" Google translate says it's the same as the first.

Does anyone remember enough Spanish to know what the extra "a mí" at the end is for? Does it just add emphasis?

--Beth

P.S. The book is Scholastic's "Cuentos Fonéticos #2 Mi mamá" and my search foo isn't good enough to find a translation of that book. I can find that there exists a copy of a teacher's guide to the series, which supposedly includes translations, but I can't find a place to purchase it.

Comments

[elflynn.livejournal.com]

Maybe something like , My mama shows me that she loves me?

[dushai.livejournal.com]

I think it's just for emphasis, kinda like "We're gonna be famous, you and me" or "You, Beth, are a wonderful human being". (Not that finding analogous constructions in English proves anything definitively, but it might help in explaining to the kids.)

Maybe it's the difference between "My mother LOVES me!" vs. "My mother loves ME!" ?

Did well in high school Spanish, but haven't used it in years, though...

[nemene.livejournal.com]

I was never very good, and am rusty, but the first one looks like it using a reflexive 'me' so it would literally be something like 'My mother (she) loves (to) me" in that context I think the 'a mi' sounds like a emphasis kind of like adding the pronoun 'yo' when it s not needed as the subject (verb conjugation implies it) emphasis that 'yo' (I) is doing whatever.