Amiga Mia – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Alejandro Sanz

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and Alejandro Sanz's 'Amiga Mía' offers a beautiful opportunity to immerse yourself in Spanish. The song's clear and emotive lyrics, sung with Sanz's distinctive flamenco-infused style, allow learners to connect with the story of love and friendship. By listening, you can improve your comprehension of poetic and colloquial Spanish expressions, making the language learning process both enjoyable and culturally enriching.

[English]

My friend, I know

You only live for him, and he knows it too

But he doesn't see you like I do, begging my mouth

To say that he confessed to me over drinks

That it's your skin he dreams of at night

And that he goes crazy with every button that

You unbutton, thinking of his hands

He hasn't seen you tremble waiting

For a word, a gesture, a hug

He doesn't see you like I do, sighing

With your eyes wide open

Listening to me and naming him

Oh, my friend! I know, and he does too

My friend, I don't know what to say or do

To see you happy

If only I could control the soul

And freedom, that's what he's missing

To fill your pockets with won victories

With dreams, with renewed hopes

I want to give you a poem

You think I'm just giving you the news

My friend

I hope one day

Listening to my song, you suddenly understand

That what I never wanted was to tell your story

Because it might turn out to be moving

But forgive me

My friend

This isn't intelligence or wisdom

This is my way of saying things

It's not my job, it's my language

And my friend

Princess of an endless story

My friend

I just want you to count on me

My friend

Let's see if one of these days

I finally learn

To speak without beating around the bush so much

That this whole story

Matters to me because you're my friend

My friend, I know

You only live for him, and he knows it too

But he doesn't see you like I do, begging my mouth

To say that he confessed to me over drinks

That it's your skin he dreams of at night

My friend, I don't know what to say or do

To see you happy

If only I could control the soul

Or freedom, that's what he's missing

To fill your pockets with won victories

With dreams and renewed hopes

I want to give you a poem

You think I'm just giving you the news

My friend

Princess of an endless story

My friend

I just want you to count on me

My friend

Let's see if one of these days

I finally learn

To speak without beating around the bush so much

That this whole story

Matters to me because you're my friend

No, no, no

My friend

Princess of an endless story

My friend

I just want you to count on me

My friend

Let's see if one of these days

I finally learn

To speak without beating around the bush so much

That this whole story

Matters to me because you're my friend

No, oh, yeah

My friend

...

[Spanish]

Amiga mía, lo sé

Solo vives por él, él lo sabe también

Pero él no te ve como yo, suplicarle a mi boca

Que diga que él me ha confesado entre copas

Que es con tu piel con quien sueña de noche

Y que enloquece con cada botón que

Te desabrochas pensando en sus manos

Él no te ha visto temblar esperando

Una palabra, algún gesto, un abrazo

Él no te ve como yo suspirando

Con los ojitos abiertos de par en par

Escucharme y nombrarle

¡Ay amiga mía! Lo sé y él también

Amiga mía, no sé qué decir ni qué hacer

Para verte feliz

Ojalá pudiera mandar en el alma

Y la libertad, es lo que a él le hace falta

Llenarte los bolsillos de guerras ganadas

De sueños, de ilusiones renovadas

Yo quiero regalarte una poesía

Tú piensas que estoy dando las noticias

Amiga mía

Ojalá algún día

Escuchando mi canción de pronto entiendas

Que lo nunca quise fue contar tu historia

Porque pudiera resultar conmovedora

Pero perdona

Amiga mía

No es inteligencia ni sabiduría

Esta es mi manera de decir las cosas

No es que sea mi trabajo, es que es mi idioma

Y amiga mía

Princesa de un cuento infinito

Amiga mía

Tan solo pretendo que cuentes conmigo

Amiga mía

A ver si uno de estos días

Por fin aprendo

A hablar sin tener que dar tantos rodeos

Que toda esta historia

Me importa porque eres mi amiga

Amiga mía, lo sé

Solo vives por él, que él lo sabe también

Pero él no te ve como yo, suplicarle a mi boca

Que diga que él me ha confesado entre copas

Que es con tu piel con quien sueña de noche

Amiga mía, no sé qué decir ni qué hacer

Para verte feliz

Ojala pudiera mandar en el alma

O en la libertad, que es lo que a él le hace falta

Llenarte los bolsillos de guerras ganadas

De sueños e ilusiones renovadas

Yo quiero regalarte una poesía

Tú piensas que estoy dando las noticias

Amiga mía

Princesa de un cuento infinito

Amiga mía

Tan solo pretendo que cuentes conmigo

Amiga mía

A ver si uno de estos días

Por fin aprendo

A hablar sin tener que dar tantos rodeos

Que toda esta historia

Me importa porque eres mi amiga

No, no, no

Amiga mía

Princesa de un cuento infinito

Amiga mía

Tan solo pretendo que cuentes conmigo

Amiga mía

A ver si uno de estos días

Por fin aprendo

A hablar sin tener que dar tantos rodeos

Que toda esta historia

Me importa porque eres mi amiga

No, oh, yeah

Amiga mía

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
amiga /aˈmi.ɣa/ A1	noun - female friend
suplicar /su.pliˈkaɾ/ B2	verb - to beg, to plead, to implore
boca /ˈbo.ka/ A1	noun - mouth
confesar /koɱ.feˈsaɾ/ B1	verb - to confess, to admit
piel /pjel/ A2	noun - skin
soñar /soˈɲaɾ/ A2	verb - to dream
enloquecer /en.lo.keˈθeɾ/ B2	verb - to drive crazy, to go mad, to madden
temblar /temˈblaɾ/ B1	verb - to tremble, to shake
abrazo /aˈβɾa.so/ A2	noun - hug, embrace
suspirar /sus.piˈɾaɾ/ B2	verb - to sigh
feliz /feˈlis/ A1	adjective - happy
alma /ˈal.ma/ B1	noun - soul, spirit
libertad /li.βeɾˈtað/ B1	noun - freedom, liberty
guerra /ˈɡe.ra/ B1	noun - war, struggle, conflict
ilusión /i.luˈsjon/ B1	noun - hope, dream, illusion, excitement
regalar /re.ɣaˈlaɾ/ A2	verb - to give (as a gift), to present
poesía /po.eˈsi.a/ B1	noun - poetry, poem
conmovedor /koɱ.mo.βeˈðoɾ/ B2	adjective - moving, touching, poignant
princesa /pɾinˈse.sa/ A2	noun - princess
rodeos /roˈðe.os/ B2	noun - detours, circumlocutions, beating around the bush (usually used in the plural with verbs like 'dar')

Key Grammar Structures

• Pero él no te ve como yo, suplicarle a mi boca

  ➔ Indirect and Direct Object Pronouns

  ➔ In "no **te** ve", "te" is a Direct Object Pronoun (DOP) meaning "you" (masculine/feminine singular, informal). In "**suplicarle** a mi boca", "le" is an Indirect Object Pronoun (IOP) referring to "a mi boca" (to my mouth), indicating who or what receives the action.

• Que diga que él me ha confesado entre copas

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood (Present Subjunctive) & Present Perfect

  ➔ "**diga**" is in the present subjunctive, likely following an implied verb of wanting or requesting (e.g., "Yo quiero que..."). "**ha confesado**" is the present perfect tense, indicating an action completed in the past with relevance to the present.

• Que es con tu piel con quien sueña de noche

  ➔ Emphatic Structures with Relative Pronouns

  ➔ The structure "**es con... con quien**" is an emphatic construction used to highlight the prepositional phrase ("con tu piel") that follows it. "quien" is a relative pronoun used for people, and here it refers to the person associated with "tu piel."

• Ojalá pudiera mandar en el alma

  ➔ Imperfect Subjunctive (with "Ojalá")

  ➔ "**Ojalá**" (meaning "I wish," "hopefully," or "if only") always introduces a subjunctive clause. "**pudiera**" is in the imperfect subjunctive, used to express a wish or a hypothetical situation that is contrary to fact or unlikely to happen in the present or future.

• La libertad, es lo que a él le hace falta

  ➔ Impersonal Verbs ("hacer falta") & Relative Pronoun "lo que"

  ➔ "**hace falta**" is an impersonal verb phrase meaning "is needed" or "is lacking." The actual subject is "la libertad." "**lo que**" acts as a neutral relative pronoun, meaning "what" or "that which."

• Que toda esta historia Me importa porque eres mi amiga

  ➔ Impersonal Verb ("importar") with Indirect Object Pronoun

  ➔ "**Me importa**" uses the verb "importar" (to matter/to be important to), which functions similarly to "gustar." "Toda esta historia" is the subject that matters, and "**me**" is the indirect object pronoun indicating *to whom* it matters.

• No es que sea mi trabajo, es que es mi idioma

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood after "No es que..."

  ➔ The expression "**No es que**..." (It's not that...) always requires the verb in the following clause to be in the subjunctive mood, even if the statement might seem factual. Here, "**sea**" is the present subjunctive of "ser."

• Tan solo pretendo que cuentes conmigo

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood (after verbs of influence/volition)

  ➔ Verbs like "pretender" (to intend, to claim) often trigger the subjunctive mood in the dependent clause when they express a wish, an intention, or a desire for an action carried out by a *different* subject. Here, "**cuentes**" is the present subjunctive of "contar."

• A hablar sin tener que dar tantos rodeos

  ➔ Preposition "sin" + Infinitive, and "tener que" + Infinitive (obligation)

  ➔ The preposition "**sin**" (without) is always followed by an infinitive in Spanish, not a gerund. "**tener que**" is a common structure expressing obligation or necessity, meaning "to have to," and here it's used with another infinitive "dar."