When longing sounds soft but hits hard
There’s something about Camilo and Sebastián Yatra’s voices that just works.
They don’t shout.
They don’t oversing.
They ache.
En Guerra is not dramatic in volume, but it is dramatic in emotion. It’s about loving someone who is fighting battles internally. About seeing beauty in someone who can’t see it themselves. About wanting to protect, stay, hold, and not let go.
And yes, they are fast becoming my personal favourites. Both of them have that soulful, tender, yearning tone that makes you believe every line. Maximum longing. Maximum sincerity.
For Spanish learners, this song is beautiful because:
- The pronunciation is clear.
- The vocabulary is emotional but accessible.
- The metaphors are strong but understandable.
- The repetition helps internalize key phrases.
This sits comfortably at A2–B1 level, especially useful for emotional vocabulary and question structures.
- When longing sounds soft but hits hard
- ▶️ Listen to the song
- 🎵 En Guerra – Spanish → English Translation
- 📘 Vocabulary Builder
- 📚 [new section!] Vocabulary & Grammar Deep Dive
- 🧠 Quiz Yourself
- Final thoughts: loving someone through their storms
▶️ Listen to the song
🎧 Camilo & Sebastián Yatra – En Guerra (Official Audio)
This is a headphones-at-night kind of song.
🎵 En Guerra – Spanish → English Translation
Hay una tormenta
There is a storm
Que no se nota desde afuera
That isn’t noticeable from the outside
Sé que por dentro estás en guerra
I know that inside you’re at war
Aunque en las fotos no se ve
Even if it doesn’t show in the pictures
Si hay una manera
If there is a way
De apagar todos tus miedos
To turn off all your fears
Voy a buscarla, aunque me duela
I’m going to look for it, even if it hurts me
Borrando la tristeza
Erasing the sadness
¿Qué le pasará a tu espejo?
What is happening to your mirror?
Que no ve lo que yo veo
That it doesn’t see what I see
¿Para qué quieres cambiar?
Why do you want to change?
Si eres todo lo que quiero
If you are everything I want
Yo quiero ser como tú
I want to be like you
Que haces brillar las estrellas
Who makes the stars shine
Con esa risa que a ti te da pena
With that laugh that embarrasses you
Pero es tan perfecta que quiero quedarme con ella
But it’s so perfect that I want to keep it
Y ser como tú
And be like you
Que haces girar el planeta
Who makes the planet spin
Cuando me besas con esa inocencia
When you kiss me with that innocence
Y no te das cuenta, mi mundo lo llenas de luz
And you don’t even realize, you fill my world with light
Ese nudo en mi garganta, se cura cuando te levantas
That knot in my throat heals when you wake up
Cuando me digas que sí, nos vamos corriendo de aquí
When you tell me yes, we’ll run away from here
Que yo te presto mis alas, que son a prueba de balas
I’ll lend you my wings, they’re bulletproof
Cuando me digas que sí, nos vamos corriendo de aquí
When you tell me yes, we’ll run away from here
No hay un corazón que te ame más que yo
There is no heart that loves you more than I do
Doy gracias a Dios que estamos los dos
I thank God that we are together
Y amarte en la guerra, bajo las estrellas de amor
And to love you in the war, under the stars of love
Yo quiero ser como tú
I want to be like you
Yo quiero ser como tú
I want to be like you
Yo quiero ser como tú
I want to be like you
Yo quiero ser como tú
I want to be like you
📘 Vocabulary Builder
Recommended level: A2–B1
| Spanish | English | Why it matters |
| tormenta | storm | Emotional metaphor |
| en guerra | at war | Internal conflict |
| apagar | to turn off | Used for fears |
| espejo | mirror | Self-perception theme |
| nudo en la garganta | knot in throat | Emotional expression |
| a prueba de balas | bulletproof | Protection metaphor |
📚 [new section!] Vocabulary & Grammar Deep Dive
Level: A2 → B1 (with some B2 structures)
🌧 1. Emotional & Metaphorical Vocabulary
| Spanish Phrase | Literal Meaning | Real Meaning in Context |
| hay una tormenta | there is a storm | internal emotional turmoil |
| estás en guerra | you are at war | you are struggling internally |
| apagar tus miedos | turn off your fears | calm or eliminate fear |
| borrar la tristeza | erase sadness | heal emotional pain |
| nudo en mi garganta | knot in my throat | emotional tightness, about to cry |
| a prueba de balas | bulletproof | emotionally protective, safe |
| bajo las estrellas | under the stars | romantic poetic setting |
Notice how the song rarely says “triste,” “ansioso,” or “inseguro.”
Instead, it uses imagery. That’s very common in Spanish songwriting.
🪞 2. “¿Qué le pasará a tu espejo?” – Indirect Questions & Future of Speculation
This line is grammatically rich.
Structure:
¿Qué le pasará a tu espejo?
- qué = what
- le pasará = will happen to it
- a tu espejo = to your mirror
Why future tense?
Pasará is future tense, but here it expresses speculation, not actual future.
Spanish often uses future tense to speculate:
- ¿Dónde estará? → I wonder where he is.
- ¿Qué pensará? → What might he be thinking?
So here:
¿Qué le pasará a tu espejo?
→ What could be wrong with your mirror?
That’s a B1–B2 insight.
🔥 3. Subjunctive Structures
“Si hay una manera…”
This uses hay (present indicative) because it refers to a real possibility.
But look at:
“Que no ve lo que yo veo”
Here:
- veo = indicative (certainty)
- He is certain of what he sees.
No subjunctive is used because it expresses certainty.
🏃 4. “Cuando me digas que sí” – Subjunctive Trigger
This one is important.
Cuando me digas que sí
Why digas and not dices?
Because:
- “Cuando” refers to a future action.
- When referring to the future, Spanish uses present subjunctive.
Examples:
- Cuando vengas → When you come
- Cuando termine → When it finishes
So:
Cuando me digas que sí
= When you tell me yes (in the future)
That’s solid B1 grammar.
🌟 5. Relative Clauses with “Que”
“Que haces brillar las estrellas”
Here, que connects the description to “tú”.
Structure:
- Yo quiero ser como tú
- Que haces brillar las estrellas
It describes “tú”.
Spanish often stacks emotional meaning through relative clauses instead of shorter sentences.
🫀 6. “No hay un corazón que te ame más que yo”
This is powerful grammar.
Structure:
No hay + noun + que + subjunctive
Why ame (subjunctive)?
Because:
- “No hay” expresses non-existence.
- When something may not exist, Spanish uses subjunctive.
Examples:
- No hay nadie que me entienda.
- No existe nada que me asuste.
So:
No hay un corazón que te ame más que yo
= There is no heart that loves you more than I do.
Subjunctive because the heart does not exist.
That’s moving toward B2.
💫 7. Pronoun Usage
“Te presto mis alas”
- te = indirect object pronoun
- I lend to you
“Te ame”
- Subjunctive + object pronoun before verb
Spanish object pronouns always come before conjugated verbs.
🧠 8. Verb Highlights
| Verb | Infinitive | Meaning | Why Important |
| estás | estar | to be | emotional state |
| apagar | apagar | to turn off | metaphor |
| borrar | borrar | to erase | emotional healing |
| cambiar | cambiar | to change | insecurity theme |
| llenar | llenar | to fill | light imagery |
| amar | amar | to love | deeper than “querer” |
Notice the shift:
Earlier in song: querer
Later: amar
Subtle emotional escalation.
🎭 9. Thematic Language Layer
The song revolves around:
- Self-doubt (mirror metaphor)
- Protection (wings, bulletproof)
- Internal battle (war)
- Light imagery (stars, planet, light)
All very common poetic devices in Latin pop ballads.
🧠 Quiz Yourself
1️⃣ What does “estás en guerra” mean in the song?
A. You are fighting someone
B. You are angry
C. You are confused
D. You are struggling internally
E. You are leaving
2️⃣ “Apagar tus miedos” literally means:
A. Hide your fears
B. Turn off your fears
C. Forget your fears
D. Fight your fears
E. Change your fears
3️⃣ What is the meaning of “¿Para qué quieres cambiar?”
A. When do you want to change?
B. How will you change?
C. Why do you want to change?
D. Where will you change?
E. Should you change?
4️⃣ “A prueba de balas” suggests:
A. Fragility
B. Protection
C. Distance
D. Fear
E. Weakness
5️⃣ The phrase “nudo en mi garganta” describes:
A. Physical pain
B. Anger
C. Emotional tension
D. Shyness
E. Excitement
✅ Answers
1-D, 2-B, 3-C, 4-B, 5-C
Final thoughts: loving someone through their storms
En Guerra is gentle but intense. It’s about seeing someone’s light even when they can’t. About loving someone in the middle of their battles, not after they’ve won them.
For Spanish learners, this song is a gift. Emotional vocabulary, simple structure, powerful metaphors.
If you want to keep learning Spanish through soulful songs like this — or if you want structured help turning lyrics into listening confidence:
📩 Write to me at
Because sometimes learning Spanish
means learning how love is said.
Spanish Songs, Translated 
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