Burra – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Karetus, Sebastião Antunes, Quadrilha

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the charm of Portuguese music with 'Burra' by Karetus, Sebastião Antunes, and Quadrilha. This lively track offers a humorous narrative about overcoming stubbornness, making it a fun and engaging way to immerse yourself in the Portuguese language and culture.

[English]

They gave me a donkey

One that was gentle and fiery

All nice and pretty

But the donkey wouldn't move

The donkey wouldn't move

Neither forward nor backward

I scolded her a lot

But I couldn't do it

I couldn't do it

To make the donkey walk

It was noon already

And I was in despair

And I was in despair

Oh, what a frustration mine

I failed her with the little donkey

And the donkey even ran away

...

They gave me a donkey

One that was gentle and fiery

All nice and pretty

But the donkey wouldn't move

The donkey wouldn't move

Neither forward nor backward

I scolded her a lot

But I couldn't do it

I couldn't do it

To make the donkey walk

It was noon already

And I was in despair

And I was in despair

Oh, what a frustration mine

I failed her with the little donkey

And the donkey even ran away

...

[Portuguese]

Deram-me uma burra

Que era mansa que era brava

Toda bem parecida

Mas a burra não andava

A burra não andava

Nem prá frente nem pra trás

Muito lhe ralhava

Mas eu não era capaz

Eu não era capaz

De fazer a burra andar

Passava do meio dia

E eu a desesperar

E eu a desesperar

Ai, que desespero o meu

Falhei-lhe no burrico

E a burra até correu

Deram-me uma burra

Que era mansa que era brava

Toda bem parecida

Mas a burra não andava

A burra não andava

Nem prá frente nem pra trás

Muito lhe ralhava

Mas eu não era capaz

Eu não era capaz

De fazer a burra andar

Passava do meio dia

E eu a desesperar

E eu a desesperar

Ai, que desespero o meu

Falhei-lhe no burrico

E a burra até correu

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
burra /ˈbu.ʁɐ/ A1	noun - female donkey
mansa /ˈmɐ̃.sɐ/ A2	adjective - tame, gentle
brava /ˈbɾa.vɐ/ A2	adjective - fierce, brave
capaz /kaˈpaz/ B1	adjective - capable
desesperar /de.se.speˈɾaɾ/ B1	verb - to despair
ralhar /ʁaˈʎaʁ/ B2	verb - to scold
andar /ɐ̃ˈdaʁ/ A1	verb - to walk
meio /ˈmej.u/ A2	noun - middle
dia /ˈdi.ɐ/ A1	noun - day
falhar /faˈʎaʁ/ B1	verb - to fail
correndo /koˈʁẽ.du/ B2	verb - running

Key Grammar Structures

• Deram-me uma burra

  ➔ Past tense (simple past) used to indicate an action that has been completed in the past.

  ➔ The phrase "Deram-me" translates to "They gave me," indicating a completed action.

• A burra não andava

  ➔ Imperfect tense used to describe an ongoing action or state in the past.

  ➔ The phrase "não andava" means "was not walking," indicating a continuous state in the past.

• Eu não era capaz

  ➔ Imperfect tense used to express inability in the past.

  ➔ The phrase "não era capaz" translates to "was not able," indicating a past inability.

• Passava do meio dia

  ➔ Imperfect tense used to indicate an ongoing action in the past.

  ➔ The phrase "Passava do meio dia" means "It was past noon," indicating a time reference in the past.

• Ai, que desespero o meu

  ➔ Exclamatory sentence used to express strong emotion.

  ➔ The phrase "Ai, que desespero o meu" translates to "Oh, what despair of mine," expressing a strong feeling of despair.

• Falhei-lhe no burrico

  ➔ Past tense (simple past) used to indicate a completed action.

  ➔ The phrase "Falhei-lhe" translates to "I failed him/her," indicating a completed action.