Spanish Songs, Translated

1. A smile as resistance
2. 🎧 Listen First
3. 🎵 Sonrisa – Spanish → English Translation [Kendji Girac]
4. 📚 Vocabulary & Poetic Breakdown
5. 🧠 Quiz Yourself
6. Final Thoughts

A smile as resistance

Not every song about happiness is naïve.

Some are intentional.

Sonrisa is not about pretending life is easy. It’s about choosing light when darkness exists. Kendji sings about strength, friendship, faith, and the quiet revolution of smiling in hard times.

There’s poetic license throughout the song. The sun arrives “from the shadows.” Smiles “break walls.” The heart is “open.” The sky “gifts” strength. These are not literal statements. They are emotional metaphors.

And that’s the beauty of Spanish songwriting. It leans into imagery instead of explanation.

For learners, this is a great song because:

• Clear pronunciation
• Repetition of key phrases
• Motivational vocabulary
• Imperatives and present tense
• Simple but poetic structures

Level: A2–B1

🎧 Listen First

Kendji Girac – Sonrisa (Official Video)

Listen once for melody.

🎵 Sonrisa – Spanish → English Translation [Kendji Girac]

Mi fuerza, mi sonrisa

My strength, my smile

El cielo me lo regaló

Heaven gave it to me

Me sigue noche y día

It follows me night and day

De las ombras me llega el sol

From the shadows, the sun reaches me

Mi fuerza, mi sonrisa

My strength, my smile

Aquí te lo regalo yo

Here, I give it to you

Comparte una sonrisa amigo

Share a smile, my friend

Al mundo le das tu sabor

You give the world your flavor

Sonríe a la vida

Smile at life

Mis ojos son mi ventana

My eyes are my window

Mi corazón abierto

My heart is open

Mi voz que te llama

My voice that calls you

Amigo, mío apúrate

My friend, hurry up

Con los hermanos es más alegre

With brothers it’s more joyful

Cuando los días son duros

When the days are hard

Con un sonrisa

With a smile

Se quebran los muros

Walls break down

Mi cariño acércate

My dear, come closer

Un secreto voy a contarte

I’m going to tell you a secret

Yo tengo la sangre gitana

I have gypsy blood

Me muevo con el viento

I move with the wind

Mi voz que te llama

My voice that calls you

Amigo apúrate

Friend, hurry up

Con tu sonrisa y tu fe

With your smile and your faith

Al ver tus ojos oscuro

When seeing your dark eyes

Con una sonrisa se queman los muros

With a smile, walls burn down

Mi cariño acércate

My dear, come closer

Un secreto voy a contarte

I’m going to tell you a secret

No mire detrás

Don’t look back

Lo que vendrá, lo verás

What will come, you will see

Aquí eres una sola

Here you are one and whole

Y todo empieza a ahora

And everything starts now

Nunca pares de soñar

Never stop dreaming

No te marches a la vuelta

Don’t leave halfway

Mi fuerza, mi sonrisa

My strength, my smile

Y te la regalo yo

And I give it to you

Sonríe a la vida

Smile at life

📚 Vocabulary & Poetic Breakdown

Let’s unpack the poetic license and useful language.

☀️ 1. “De las sombras me llega el sol”

Literal:

“The sun reaches me from the shadows.”

This is metaphor.

It suggests:

• Light coming after darkness
• Hope from difficulty
• Joy despite struggle

Spanish songwriting often uses:

• Sol (sun) = hope
• Sombras (shadows) = hardship

These are recurring symbolic elements.

😊 2. “Comparte una sonrisa”

Imperative form.

Comparte = share.

Command forms in Spanish are everywhere in motivational songs.

Examples:

• Vive
• Ama
• Sueña
• Sonríe

They create emotional directness.

❤️ 3. “Mi corazón abierto”

Adjective placement.

Abierto follows corazón.

Spanish tends to place descriptive adjectives after nouns unless stylistically emphasizing.

🔥 4. “Se quebran los muros”

Quiebran = break.

Metaphor:

Smiles break walls.

Walls represent:

• Emotional distance
• Conflict
• Fear

It’s symbolic language, not literal.

🌬 5. “Me muevo con el viento”

Literal:

“I move with the wind.”

Meaning:

Freedom. Adaptability. Spirit.

🧠 Quiz Yourself

1️⃣ “Sonríe” is:

A. Past tense

B. Subjunctive

C. Command

D. Conditional

E. Imperfect

2️⃣ “No mire detrás” expresses:

A. Past regret

B. Future hope

C. Advice

D. Description

E. Question

3️⃣ “Se quebran los muros” is:

A. Literal

B. Metaphor

C. Question

D. Command

E. Future

4️⃣ “El cielo me lo regaló” uses which tense?

A. Present

B. Future

C. Conditional

D. Preterite

E. Imperfect

5️⃣ “Nunca pares de soñar” is an example of:

A. Affirmative command

B. Negative command

C. Past tense

D. Conditional

E. Hypothesis

✅ Answers

1-C, 2-C, 3-B, 4-D, 5-A

Final Thoughts

Sonrisa is simple.

But simplicity is not weakness.

It uses poetic exaggeration, repetition, and imagery to deliver a message that feels universal:

Life gets hard.

Smile anyway.

Share it.

For learners, it’s approachable.

For listeners, it’s uplifting.

If you want to learn Spanish through songs that balance clarity and beauty:

📩 Write to me at

effietrumpet19@gmail.com

Because sometimes a smile is grammar too.

No? trying too hard? Fiiiine. See you next time!