Cotidiano – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Chico Buarque
• Album: Construção

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic journey with Chico Buarque's "Cotidiano"! This song is a brilliant example of Brazilian Portuguese storytelling, using simple yet profound daily observations to convey complex emotions and subtle social commentary. You can learn rich vocabulary related to daily life, emotions, and subtle expressions, while appreciating how repetitive lyrical structures can deepen meaning and evoke a powerful sense of routine and underlying desire for change. Its poignant portrayal of everyday existence makes it a unique and special piece for language learners.

[English]

Every day she does everything just the same

She wakes me up at six in the morning

She smiles at me, right on time

And kisses me with mint-fresh lips

Every day she tells me to take care of myself

And all those things every woman says

She says she’s waiting for me for dinner

And kisses me with coffee-scented lips

Every day I just think about being able to stop

At noon I just think about saying no

Then I think about the life I have to live

And I stay quiet with bean-filled lips

Six in the evening, just as expected

She’s there waiting for me at the gate

She says she’s dying to kiss me

And kisses me with passionate lips

Every night she tells me not to drift away

At midnight she swears eternal love

And holds me so tight I can barely breathe

And bites me with lips full of fear

Every day she does everything just the same

She wakes me up at six in the morning

She smiles at me, right on time

And kisses me with mint-fresh lips

Every day she tells me to take care of myself

And all those things every woman says

She says she’s waiting for me for dinner

And kisses me with coffee-scented lips

Every day I just think about being able to stop

At noon I just think about saying no

Then I think about the life I have to live

And I stay quiet with bean-filled lips

Six in the evening, just as expected

She’s there waiting for me at the gate

She says she’s dying to kiss me

And kisses me with passionate lips

Every night she tells me not to drift away

At midnight she swears eternal love

And holds me so tight I can barely breathe

And bites me with lips full of fear

Every day she does everything just the same

She wakes me up at six in the morning

She smiles at me, right on time

And kisses me with mint-fresh lips

...

[Portuguese]

Todo dia ela faz tudo sempre igual

Me sacode às seis horas da manhã

Me sorri um sorriso pontual

E me beija com a boca de hortelã

Todo dia ela diz que é pra eu me cuidar

E essas coisas que diz toda mulher

Diz que está me esperando pro jantar

E me beija com a boca de café

Todo dia eu só penso em poder parar

Meio-dia eu só penso em dizer não

Depois penso na vida pra levar

E me calo com a boca de feijão

Seis da tarde, como era de se esperar

Ela pega e me espera no portão

Diz que está muito louca pra beijar

E me beija com a boca de paixão

Toda noite ela diz pra eu não me afastar

Meia-noite ela jura eterno amor

E me aperta pra eu quase sufocar

E me morde com a boca de pavor

Todo dia ela faz tudo sempre igual

Me sacode às seis horas da manhã

Me sorri um sorriso pontual

E me beija com a boca de hortelã

Todo dia ela diz que é pra eu me cuidar

E essas coisas que diz toda mulher

Diz que está me esperando pro jantar

E me beija com a boca de café

Todo dia eu só penso em poder parar

Meio-dia eu só penso em dizer não

Depois penso na vida pra levar

E me calo com a boca de feijão

Seis da tarde, como era de se esperar

Ela pega e me espera no portão

Diz que está muito louca pra beijar

E me beija com a boca de paixão

Toda noite ela diz pra eu não me afastar

Meia-noite ela jura eterno amor

E me aperta pra eu quase sufocar

E me morde com a boca de pavor

Todo dia ela faz tudo sempre igual

Me sacode às seis horas da manhã

Me sorri um sorriso pontual

E me beija com a boca de hortelã

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
cotidiano ko.ti.diˈa.nu B1	noun - daily routine
sacode saˈkɔ.dʒi A2	verb - to shake, to wake up
pontual pon.ˈtu.al A2	adjective - punctual
hortelã oʁ.teˈlɐ̃ A1	noun - mint
beija ˈbɛj.ʒɐ A1	verb - to kiss
louca ˈlo.kɐ A2	adjective - crazy
paixão pɐˈʃɐ̃w A2	noun - passion
jura ˈʒu.ɾɐ A2	verb - to swear
eterno eˈtɛɾ.nu A2	adjective - eternal
pavor paˈvoɾ B1	noun - dread
cuidar kuˈdaɾ A2	verb - to take care of
parar paˈɾaɾ A1	verb - to stop
levar leˈvaɾ A1	verb - to carry, to lead
calo ˈka.lu B1	verb - to become silent
feijão fejˈʒɐ̃w A1	noun - bean

Key Grammar Structures

• Todo dia ela faz tudo sempre igual

  ➔ Present Simple Tense

  ➔ The phrase uses the present simple tense to describe a routine action, emphasizing that 'every day she does everything the same way'.

• Me sacode às seis horas da manhã

  ➔ Pronoun + Verb Conjugation

  ➔ The pronoun 'me' is used as an indirect object, and 'sacode' is conjugated to match the third-person singular, meaning 'she wakes me up at six in the morning'.

• Me sorri um sorriso pontual

  ➔ Pronoun + Verb + Noun Complement

  ➔ The structure 'me sorri um sorriso' uses a pronoun, verb, and noun complement to describe the action of smiling, emphasizing 'she smiles a punctual smile at me'.

• E me beija com a boca de hortelã

  ➔ Conjunction + Pronoun + Verb + Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ The conjunction 'e' links the action of kissing, using a prepositional phrase 'com a boca de hortelã' to describe the manner, meaning 'and kisses me with mint-flavored lips'.

• Todo dia eu só penso em poder parar

  ➔ Present Simple + Infinitive

  ➔ The present simple 'todo dia' is combined with the infinitive 'poder parar' to express a recurring thought, meaning 'every day I only think about being able to stop'.