Parca

[Brazilian dude]

Здесь можнo писать кириллицей, Юрифинк.

Brazilian dude

[yurifink]

Спасибо, но можно кириллицей.

[tcward]

Nothing must be done hastily but killing of fleas.

...and mosquitoes and cockroaches!!

-Tim

[WonderingSpaniard]

Where was I when you all posted here!!

Greetings Ilka!! I can't help finding funny that you use "Mediterráneo" to learn Castilian (if I may use this term here), for I bet the original wrote was in Catalan.

Well, my little, late contributions. "A" and "para", although many times translated by "to", are by no means always interchangeable, but this is a common mistake even amongst native speakers. "A" gives a sense of movement towards a place, whereas "para" possesses a notion of "target", "intention". Of course, the proper phrase is "para mi mal" and its rendering should be "to my disgrace/misfortune/bad luck". Good one, BD!

Tengo que ir al Ministerio a/para recoger la orden.

Using "a" we're highlighting the movement, whereas "para" stresses our aim.

"Ir" is a verb of movement and thus requires "a" to be complete.

Tengo que ir a recoger la orden.
(*)Tengo que ir para recoger la orden. (not valid without a previous specification of where you're going.

Other verbs offer no ambiguity:

Estoy buscando a tu prima para darle la enhorabuena.

"a" introduces the Direct Object of a person. "Para" our intention.


As to the "Parcas", well, it's noted in the quote you gave from the RAE that its use is poetic and literary. You don't usually go around saying that "te la han jugado las Parcas", everytime you don't win the lottery.

Apo, I appeal to the First Law of Translation, not to pour those fragments into English:

The translatorial process must be: foreign language towards mother language, never otherwise.

Anyway, I doubt any other English speaker can better your own

Regards,

WS.

[WonderingSpaniard]

Ah, I had forgotten...

tcward:

I'll have to defer to B-D or Apo...

Don't be a stranger!

Am I a stranger, Tim?

[Brazilian dude]

Of course, the proper phrase is "para mi mal" and its rendering should be "to my disgrace/misfortune/bad luck". Good one, BD!

Big deal, it's the same thing in Portuguese.

Brazilian dude

[tcward]

Not as long as you keep posting!

-Tim