PART 2 (of 2) "Para a alma" means "to the soul". "Pela alma" means "through the soul". - Sigo pelo caminho que me indicaram. (I follow the path that's been indicated to me) - Sigo para o caminho que me indicaram. (I walk towards the path that's been indicated to me) - Já me desculpei para você. (You don't need to tell them you're sorry, I've already apologized) - Já me desculpei por você. (You should be sorry. I've apologized in your name for what you've done, but you should have been the one doing it) The problem is, there are endless ways to build new ways of saying it, so it's better to grasp the initial meaning (the nuance) in Portuguese. What all sentences with "para" have in common is that they can mean "toward", or "to", or a neutral way of calling attention to an action you performed; and "por" means "through", "by", or a way of emphasizing the person who receives the action of what you've done (when it means "in someone's stead"). The translation? That's a case-by-case basis. Sometimes you use the same preposition in English; sometimes you use a different one; sometimes you don't use any preposition at all (see examples above).

PART 1 (of 2) "Pela alma" in this case means "through the soul". Hence the correction. "Para" carries the meaning of "toward". This can be expressed by many different prepositions in English (to, for, toward(s)). "Por" means "in favor of" (or "in someone's stead") or "through". It can be expressed by a number of different prepositions in English (for, by, through, in someone's stead, etc.). What you need to do first is have a clear picture of what each word means in Portuguese. Do not translate them to English at first. Get it in Portuguese first. After you have grasped what they mean in Portuguese and how they are used, you can set out to find their corresponding word in English, if needed. What I'm trying to say is, you can use English to understand what's going on, but do not translate literally. Don't pick a word. First get the meaning in Portuguese. Examples: 1) Fiz isso para você 2) Fiz isso por você Prepositions give different meanings. The first sentence means "I did this for you", but it emphasizes your action (it could be because you asked me to; or even if you didn't, I may have done it simply because I wanted to). For example, I may have submitted documents that you needed to, but couldn't at the time. The second sentence means "I did this for you", but it emphasizes "you". I.e., it could easily be something construed romantically. You took a bullet and as you lay dying, you use your last breath to say "I did this for you. You deserve it."

The difference would be akin to "improve" and "ameliorate" in English: melhorar = to improve aprimorar = to ameliorate This might amuse you at first, given that "ameliorate" and "melhorar" obviously stem from the same root source (Latin "melior" -- 'better than'). However, as you probably know by now, even though Latin-based words tend to sound higher in English, they are actually commonplace in Latin-based languages (such as Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and French). That is, either higher or more specific. Such as "speed" (Germanic) and "velocity" (used in Physics, for example, as opposed to the general term "speed"), even though "velocidade" is our bread-and-butter for it. Or "hawk" (Germanic) and "falcon" (in zoology, a more specific type of hawk), even though "falcão", again, is the regular word we'd use. And so on. "Aprimorar", then, which literally means "to make it prime" (i.e., the best it can be) would be more formal, as it sounds higher and more elegant. "Melhorar" is your everyday "to improve". Both can be used, but in terms of style, the rest of your text should match the words you use, lest you come off overbearing and arrogant, or, at the very least, out of place.

I agree with Helen. You'd be understood. But it would be more commonly said as "I'm late, I'm in a hurry", or "need to hurry", or "gotta hurry" or any derivative thereof. Another alternative would be "I'm in a rush, we'll talk later", depending on who you talk to.

Helen, your comment is perfect. I think you should have posted it as an answer (not a comment)!

Hm, I'm not really sure what you meant by "to stand of my dignity". Perhaps you meant "to defend my dignity"? "To uphold my dignity"? As for the second sentence, that should be "beneath my dignity" (there is no "of"). In English, you say "beneath/below something", without a preposition.

Hi, Tam. That depends. If you are using "elder" as an adjective, then it means the same as "older": - I have an older brother - I have an elder brother Except "elder" is relatively more traditional, perhaps formal. However, if you use "elder" as a noun, it no longer means "older". It means an aged person: - The elders in my village have gathered for the annual Council. By that you mean those oldest in age have gathered. You CANNOT say "the olders in my village". LIkewise, "old" and "elderly" are similar, but there are contexts in which they are not interchangeable. For example, you can use both as an adjective to define people; but you can't use both for inanimate objects, and you cannot use "old" by itself in a sentence, given that it acts solely as an adjective. For example: - The book is old. (You cannot say "the book is enderly") - Worry made him old. (You cannot say "elderly"). To use "elderly" you would have to change your sentence: - Worry has made him an elderly man in my eyes. Also: - The elderly in my village are so wise. (You cannot say "the old in my village") If you want to use "old" in the previous sentence, you would have to use a noun after the adjective: - The old *people* in my village are so wise Though you can also use "enderly" as a pure adjective: - The elderly *people* in my village are so wise. And you can't use "elderly" for things: - This is a 50-year old rock (not "elderly")