Spanish personal A

Whenever the object of the action (the one receiving it) is a person or a pet, we must use the preposition a right after the verb:

Amo Madrid. VS Amo a María.

Odio la canción. VS Odio a Pedro.
Progress, Vol. 1
Progress, all volumes
Desirable difficulties

If studying feels effortless, you're probably not learning much. A bit of struggle during practice is a good sign. Difficulty isn't the enemy of learning; it's the mechanism.