A Carta Que Eu Nunca Escrevi – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: David Carreira

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the poignant story behind David Carreira's "A Carta Que Eu Nunca Escrevi." This emotional pop song offers a unique window into themes of regret and unspoken love, making it a beautiful piece to explore the nuances of Portuguese expression and sentiment.

[English]

I'm no longer with you

Time has passed, I didn't realize

I never made an effort to say everything you deserved to know

I didn't speak, I stayed silent about how I felt

Now I tell you what I kept to myself

This is the letter I never wrote (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

A song I keep to myself (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

So you can know everything I never knew how to say

This is the letter I never read to you (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

Every step I didn’t take

Trying to change what I never changed

Every time I failed

Every birthday I forgot

All these things remind me I failed

Now I tell you what I kept to myself

This is the letter I never wrote (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

A song I keep to myself (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

So you can know everything I never knew how to say

This is the letter I never read to you (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

This is the letter I never... one more chorus

A song I keep to myself (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

So you know I’ll never forget you

This is the letter I never read to you (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

...

[Portuguese]

Já não estou junto a ti

O tempo passou, eu não percebi

Nunca fiz por dizer tudo o que tu merecias saber

Não falei, o que sentia calei

Digo-te agora o que eu guardei pra mim

Esta é a carta que eu nunca escrevi (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

Uma canção que eu guardo pra mim (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

Para que possas saber, tudo que eu nunca soube dizer

Esta é a carta que eu nunca te li (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

Cada passo que eu não dei

Tentar mudar o que não mudei

Cada vez que eu errei

Cada aniversário que eu não lembrei

Tudo vem pra me lembrar que falhei

Digo-te agora o que eu guardei pra mim

Esta é a carta que eu nunca escrevi (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

Uma canção que eu guardo pra mim (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

Para que possas saber, tudo que eu nunca soube dizer

Esta é a carta que eu nunca te li (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

Esta é a carta que eu nunca... mais um refrão

Uma canção que eu guardo pra mim (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

Para que possas saber que eu nunca te vou esquecer

Esta é a carta que eu nunca te li (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
passado /pa'saðu/ B1	noun - past
percebi /pɨr'sɛbi/ B1	verb - to perceive, to realize
merecias /mə'reʃiɐʃ/ B2	verb - to deserve
falei /fa'lei/ A2	verb - to speak, to say
senti /sẽ'ti/ A2	verb - to feel
guardei /ɡwar'deɪ/ B1	verb - to keep, to store
escrivi /ɛʃk'ri.vi/ B2	verb - to write
li /li/ A1	verb - to read
mudei /mu'dei/ B1	verb - to change
errei /e'ɾɐj/ B1	verb - to make a mistake
falhei /fa'lei/ B1	verb - to fail
lembrar /lẽb'ɾaɾ/ B2	verb - to remember
esquecer /ɛʃkɨ'seɾ/ B2	verb - to forget

Key Grammar Structures

• Já não estou junto a ti

  ➔ Present perfect tense with 'já' to indicate an action completed recently.

  ➔ 'Já' is used with present tense to emphasize that the action has been completed by now.

• O tempo passou, eu não percebi

  ➔ Preterite tense 'passou' to indicate completed past action.

  ➔ 'Passou' is the past tense of 'passar', meaning 'passed' or 'went by', indicating completed action in past.

• Nunca fiz por dizer tudo o que tu merecias saber

  ➔ Preterite tense 'fiz' of 'fazer' to indicate completed action in the past.

  ➔ 'Fiz' is the past tense of 'fazer' meaning 'did' or 'made', used here to refer to past actions.

• Cada passo que eu não dei

  ➔ Preterite tense 'dei' of 'dar' to indicate a completed action ('gave' or 'took').

  ➔ 'Dei' is the preterite form of 'dar', which means 'to give' or 'to take', here indicating actions not taken.

• Digo-te agora o que eu guardei pra mim

  ➔ Present tense 'digo' of 'dizer' to express current action or statement.

  ➔ 'Digo' is the present tense of 'dizer', meaning 'I say' or 'I tell', used here to communicate current feelings or thoughts.

• Esta é a carta que eu nunca escreverei

  ➔ Future tense 'escreverei' of 'escrever' to indicate a future action.

  ➔ 'Escreverei' is the future tense of 'escrever', meaning 'I will write', used here to express a future intention or action.