Differentielle Objektmarkierung bei unbelebten Objekten im Spanischen When and why are direct objects in Spanish marked with an a  This study investigates this question by considering inanimate objects that are normally unmarked but require marking when combined with a small stable class of verbs. Presenting an analysis of semantic roles the author shows that diffential object marking in Spanish is determined not only by nominal individualization properties such as animacy and definiteness but also by the verbal action that is expressed.