JeraldC1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

"debida a" vs "gracias a"

In the following question, I understand why "debida al" is the correct option as the most literal translation.

No pude llegar a tiempo ________ tráfico en la ciudad.I couldn't get there on time because of the traffic in the city.
However, why can´t "gracias al" be an ironic option for this question? ( I couldn´t get there on time thanks to the traffic in the city.) In a B2 lesson, it states "gracias a" can be used as ironic option. See below.
"Generally, we use "por culpa de" for something with a "negative result" and "gracias a (que)" for something with a "positive result", but sometimes, when we talk "ironically" we can swap them. For example, we could say:
Gracias a Miguel, hoy no hemos ganado el partido.Thanks to Miguel, we didn't win the match today. (ironic - meaning it's his fault)"

This question relates to:Spanish lesson "Using debido a / debido a que for because of / due to in Spanish"

Asked 3 months ago

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Jerald asked:View original

"debida a" vs "gracias a"

In the following question, I understand why "debida al" is the correct option as the most literal translation.

No pude llegar a tiempo ________ tráfico en la ciudad.I couldn't get there on time because of the traffic in the city.
However, why can´t "gracias al" be an ironic option for this question? ( I couldn´t get there on time thanks to the traffic in the city.) In a B2 lesson, it states "gracias a" can be used as ironic option. See below.
"Generally, we use "por culpa de" for something with a "negative result" and "gracias a (que)" for something with a "positive result", but sometimes, when we talk "ironically" we can swap them. For example, we could say:
Gracias a Miguel, hoy no hemos ganado el partido.Thanks to Miguel, we didn't win the match today. (ironic - meaning it's his fault)"

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