Spanish Songs, Translated

Welcome to the first-ever post on Spanish Songs, Translated! *cue la música latina*

Starting this blog to translate songs new and old, all in Spanish, to English for more people to join me in my language-learning journey! I will be translating songs line-by-line from Spanish to English.

We start with Despacito by Luis Fonsi – admittedly, a classic, maybe even cliché. But I would be the first to admit that despite grooving to this song WAY too many times, I have never paid much attention to the lyrics and even if I did, never thought about what they meant. However, every time someone gets to know that I am a student of español, the first thing they ask me is “So you understand the lyrics to Despacito?”. And now I can proudly say that yes, yes I do.

So let’s go!

Appendix:
1. Italics: Original Spanish lyric
2. Normal: Translated English lyric
3. –Italics nestled within hyphens–: Random comments that you can safely ignore

Despacito – line-by-line translation of lyrics [Spanish to English] [Español a Inglés]

Verse 1

Sí, sabes que ya llevo un rato mirándote
Yes, you know I’ve been looking at you for a while now

Tengo que bailar contigo hoy
I want to dance with you today

Vi que tu mirada ya estaba llamándome
I see that your gaze was already calling out to me
–the word ‘la mirada’ seems to be very popular in these Latino songs, we don’t use the word ‘gaze’ as much–

Muéstrame el camino que yo voy
Show me the way that I am going
–doesn’t particularly make a lot of sense to me, but sure Mr. Fonsi–

Oh, tú, tú eres el imán y yo soy el metal
Oh, you, you are the magnet and I am the metal
–Smooth–

Me voy acercando y voy armando el plan
I am getting closer and and I am putting together the plan
–Note to self: ‘armar’ is to assemble/put together–

Solo con pensarlo se acelera el pulso (oh yeah)
Just thinking about it makes my heartbeat faster
–He’s technically saying it makes his ‘pulse’ faster, but you know–

Ya, ya me estás gustando más de lo normal
I already like you more than usual

Todos mis sentidos van pidiendo más
All my senses are asking for more

Esto hay que tomarlo sin ningún apuro
One must take this without hurrying
–take what?–

Chorus

Despacito
Slowly
Quiero respirar tu cuello despacito
I want to breathe down your neck slowly
–I literally do not know how to put this more romantically, it’s just one of those things that sound better in Spanish–

Deja que te diga cosas al oído
Let me tell you things in your ear
Para que te acuerdes si no estás conmigo
That you remember when you’re not with me
Despacito
Slowly
Quiero desnudarte a besos despacito
I want to undress you slowly with kisses
Firmar las paredes de tu laberinto
Sign the walls of your labyrinth
–yikes okay–
Y hacer de tu cuerpo todo un manuscrito
And turn your entire body into a manuscript
–okay I would fall for this maybe–

Quiero ver bailar tu pelo
I want to see your hair dance
Quiero ser tu ritmo
I want to be your rhythm
Que le enseñes a mi boca
I hope you teach my mouth
Tus lugares favoritos (favoritos, favoritos baby)
Your favourite places
Déjame sobrepasar tus zonas de peligro
Let me surpass your danger zones
–Gotta love that word, ‘peligro’. Makes me think of a bloodthirsty pelican–
Hasta provocar tus gritos
Until I provoke your screams
Y que olvides tu apellido
Until you forget your own last name

Rap Section

Yo sé que estás pensándolo
I know that you are thinking about it
Llevo tiempo intentándolo
I have been trying it for some time
Mami, esto es dando y dándolo
Mami, this is giving and giving it
–???–
Sabes que tu corazón conmigo te hace bam bam
You know that your heart with me makes you go ‘bam, bam’
Sabe que esa beba ‘tá buscando de mi bam bam
You know that baby is looking for me ‘bam, bam’
–people will do anything to fit their music, I tell you–
Ven prueba de mi boca para ver cómo te sabe
Come, try out my mouth to see how it tastes to you

Quiero, quiero, quiero ver cuánto amor a ti te cabe
I want, I want, I want to see how much love you have
Yo no tengo prisa, yo me quiero dar el viaje
I am not in a hurry, I want to go on this journey
Empezamo’ lento, después salvaje
We will start slow, then go wild

Pasito a pasito, suave suavecito
Step by step, soft and softly
Nos vamos pegando poquito a poquito
We are going to hit it, little by little
Cuando tú me besas con esa destreza
When you kiss me with that dexterity
Veo que eres malicia con delicadeza
I see that you are malice with delicacy

Pasito a pasito, suave suavecito
Step by step, soft and softly
Nos vamos pegando poquito a poquito
We are going to hit it, little by little
Y es que esa belleza es un rompecabezas
And that beauty is a puzzle
–Note to self: remember ‘rompecabezas’. Fun to say out loud!–
Pero pa’ montarlo aquí tengo la pieza
But in order to assemble it here, I have the piece

Chorus

Despacito
Slowly
Quiero respirar tu cuello despacito
I want to breathe down your neck slowly
Deja que te diga cosas al oído
Let me tell you things in your ear
Para que te acuerdes si no estás conmigo
That you remember when you’re not with me
Despacito
Slowly
Quiero desnudarte a besos despacito
I want to undress you slowly with kisses
Firmar las paredes de tu laberinto
Sign the walls of your labyrinth
Y hacer de tu cuerpo todo un manuscrito
And turn your entire body into a manuscript

Quiero ver bailar tu pelo
I want to see your hair dance
Quiero ser tu ritmo
I want to be your rhythm
Que le enseñes a mi boca
I hope you teach my mouth
Tus lugares favoritos
Your favourite places
Déjame sobrepasar tus zonas de peligro
Let me surpass your danger zones
–Gotta love that word, ‘peligro’. Makes me think of a bloodthirsty pelican–
Hasta provocar tus gritos
Until I provoke your screams
Y que olvides tu apellido
Until you forget your own last name

Despacito
Slowly
Vamo’ a hacerlo en una playa en Puerto Rico
We will do it on a beach in Puerto Rico
–no points for guessing what this is–
Hasta que las olas griten “Ay, bendito”
Until the waves scream “Oh, blessed one”
Para que mi sello se quede contigo (báilalo)
So that my seal/stamp stays with you (dance it out)

Pasito a pasito, suave suavecito
Step by step, soft and softly
Nos vamos pegando, poquito a poquito
We are going to hit it, little by little
Que le enseñes a mi boca
I hope you teach my mouth
Tus lugares favoritos (favoritos, favoritos baby)
Your favourite places (favourites, favourites baby)
Pasito a pasito, suave suavecito
Step by step, soft and softly
Nos vamos pegando, poquito a poquito
We are going to hit it, little by little
Hasta provocar tus gritos
Until I provoke your screams
Y que olvides tu apellido
Until you forget your own last name
Despacito
Slowly

—

As always, this may not be a 100% perfect translation, me being a student still. So there’s your disclaimer!