If there are three continuous natural numbers, the maximum of which is a, then the sum of the three numbers is a______ .

If there are three continuous natural numbers, the maximum of which is a, then the sum of the three numbers is a______ .

The three numbers are: A-2, A-1, a; A-2 + A-1 + a = 3a-3. A: the sum of the three numbers is 3a-3. So the answer is: 3a-3