Carta urgente – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Rosana, Abel Pintos

Lyrics & Translation

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
carta /ˈkaɾta/ A2	noun - letter (written message)
escribo /eskˈɾibo/ A2	verb - to write
canciones /kanˈθjo.nes/ (Spain), /kɑnˈsjoʊ.nəz/ (Latin America) A2	noun - songs
alma /ˈal.ma/ B1	noun - soul
quierido /kiˈɾi.ðo/ A2	adjective - loved, dear
tiempo /ˈtjan.po/ A2	noun - time
siento /ˈsjento/ A2	verb - to feel
valen /ˈba.len/ A2	verb - to be worth
llegando /ʎeˈɣãn.do/ B1	verb (gerund) - arriving
tarde /ˈtaɾ.de/ A2	noun - late, afternoon
urgentes /uɾˈxen.tes/ B2	adjective - urgent

Key Grammar Structures

• Hay cosas que te escribo en cartas para no decirlas

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood (para + infinitive)

  ➔ Uses "para" + infinitive to express purpose. Here, it means 'I write things in letters in order **not to say** them'. The "no decirlas" part implies a reason or purpose for writing instead of speaking.

• Hay cosas que están en mi alma y quedarán contigo cuando me haya ido

  ➔ Future Perfect Subjunctive (haya ido)

  ➔ "haya ido" is the future perfect subjunctive of "ir". It expresses an action that will be completed sometime in the future, before another action. The sentence translates to 'There are things that are in my soul and will remain with you when I **will have gone**'. It emphasizes the completed departure before the things remain with the person.

• En todas acabo diciendo cuánto te he querido

  ➔ Preterite Perfect (he querido) used to express a past action relevant to the present.

  ➔ "he querido" implies that the speaker's love for the person continues to the present, despite the past events that the song describes. It means 'In all of them, I end up saying how much I **have loved** you'.

• Hay cosas que se lleva el tiempo, sabe Dios a dónde

  ➔ Use of the subjunctive (sabe) after an uncertain expression like 'Dios sabe'

  ➔ While "saber" usually uses the indicative mood, the expression "Dios sabe" (God knows) can introduce an element of uncertainty or doubt, sometimes leading to the use of the subjunctive. The implicit question of where time takes things might also suggest the subjunctive in some contexts.

• Hay cosas que siguen ancladas cuando el tiempo corre

  ➔ Subjunctive not required here as the "cuando" clause does not express uncertainty about the time

  ➔ The verb "corre" is in the indicative because it's stating a fact: time *does* run. If there was uncertainty about whether time runs, the subjunctive might be used. The sentence indicates that *while* time passes, these things remain anchored. The certainty of time passing negates the need for the subjunctive after "cuando."

• Hay cartas urgentes que llegan cuando ya no hay nadie, oh

  ➔ Subjunctive could be used (haya) if there's uncertainty about whether there will be anyone.

  ➔ Since the sentence describes a hypothetical situation, the indicative is used. However, changing it to the subjunctive would emphasize the uncertainty or unlikelihood. The indicative form reflects an observation of something that actually happens, even though undesirable.