A Ratos – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José

Lyrics & Translation

Step into the deep emotional world of 'El Príncipe de la Canción' with "A Ratos," a masterpiece of the romantic Spanish ballad. This song offers a beautiful, melancholic Spanish vocabulary, teaching you how to express complex feelings of frustration and unrequited love. José José's perfect vocal control makes every word a lesson in dramatic and precise Spanish articulation, making it special for capturing authentic romantic heartbreak in the language.

[English]

From time to time

You offer me love

From time to time

Because you don’t want commitments

No problems, no promises

From time to time

You offer me love

From time to time

You enjoy adventures

Just like all newcomers

And you tell me that full-time love

Always leaves scars

And "I love you"s are forgotten

And you swear that kissing all the time

Doesn’t feel like mischief if it’s every day

You fall in love

You respect

The love I gave you yesterday

Today my schedule is full

And there’s no time for you

From time to time

You offer me love

From time to time

You enjoy adventures

Just like all newcomers

From time to time

[Spanish]

A ratos

Me ofreces amor

a ratos

Pues no quieres ataduras

Ni problemas, ni contratos

A ratos

Me ofreces amor

a ratos

Te gustan las aventuras

Como a todos los novatos

Y me dices que el amor de tiempo entero

Siempre deja cicatrices

Y se olvidan los "te quiero"

Y me juras que besar a todas horas

No te sabe a travesura si es que a diario

Te enamoras

Tú respetas

El amor que ayer te di

Hoy mi agenda está completa

Y no hay ratos para ti

A ratos

Me ofreces amor

a ratos

Te gustan las aventuras

Como a todos los novatos

A ratos

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ofreces oˈfɾeθes B1	verb - you offer
ataduras a.taˈðu.ɾas B2	noun - ties, bonds
problemas pɾoˈβle.mas A2	noun - problems
contratos konˈtɾa.tos B1	noun - contracts
aventuras a.βenˈtu.ɾas B1	noun - adventures
novatos noˈβa.tos B1	noun - newcomers, beginners
cicatrices θi.kaˈtɾi.θes B2	noun - scars
jurás xuˈɾas B1	verb - you swear
besar beˈsaɾ A2	verb - to kiss
travesura tɾa.βeˈsu.ɾa B1	noun - mischief, prank
enamoras e.naˈmo.ɾas B1	verb - you fall in love
respetas ɾesˈpe.tas A2	verb - you respect
agenda aˈxen.da B1	noun - agenda
completa komˈple.ta A2	adjective - complete

Key Grammar Structures

• A ratos Me ofreces amor

  ➔ Present tense with adverbial phrase

  ➔ The phrase 'A ratos' acts as an adverbial phrase modifying the verb 'ofrece', indicating when the action happens.

• Pues no quieres ataduras

  ➔ Present tense with negation

  ➔ The verb 'quieres' is in the present tense and negated by 'no', expressing a current lack of desire.

• Ni problemas, ni contratos

  ➔ Coordination with 'ni...ni'

  ➔ The conjunction 'ni...ni' is used to coordinate two negative elements, emphasizing the absence of both.

• Te gustan las aventuras

  ➔ Present tense with indirect object pronoun

  ➔ The verb 'gustan' agrees with the plural noun 'aventuras', and 'te' is an indirect object pronoun.

• Como a todos los novatos

  ➔ Comparative prepositional phrase

  ➔ The phrase 'como a todos los novatos' compares the subject to 'all the beginners' using the preposition 'como'.

• Siempre deja cicatrices

  ➔ Present tense with adverb of frequency

  ➔ The adverb 'siempre' indicates that the action 'deja' always occurs, emphasizing regularity.

• Y se olvidan los 'te quiero'

  ➔ Passive voice with reflexive verb

  ➔ The verb 'olvidan' is in the passive voice, and 'se' indicates a reflexive action, meaning 'the 'te quiero' are forgotten'.

• No te sabe a travesura

  ➔ Negative construction with 'no...a'

  ➔ The negative construction 'no te sabe a' is used to express that something does not taste like mischief to you.