Día de los Muertos – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Nathalia

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

Prende una vela y enciende el copal (Light a candle and burn some incense)

Light a candle and burn some incense

Cenizas y un poco de sal (Ashes and a little salt)

Ashes and a little salt

Pon el pan dulce y algo de beber (Sweet bread to eat and something to drink)

Sweet bread to eat and something to drink

Y recuerda los tiempos de ayer (Let’s remember the times of yesterday)

Let’s remember the times of yesterday

Toma el retrato del que ya no esta (Bring portraits of those who are gone)

Bring portraits of those who are gone

Colócalo sobre el altar (And place it on an altar)

And place it on an altar

Papel de colores, caminos de flores (Colorful banners, pathways of flowers)

Colorful banners, pathways of flowers

Y ofrendas para recordar (And offerings to remember them by)

And offerings to remember them by

Que lindo, que lindo (How beautiful, so beautiful)

How beautiful, so beautiful

Que vivan en nuestras memorias (That they live in our memories)

That they live in our memories

Que lindo, que lindo (How beautiful, so beautiful)

How beautiful, so beautiful

Que celebremos sus historias (That we celebrate their stories)

That we celebrate their stories

Hoy celebramos el Día de los Muertos (Today we celebrate the Day of the Dead)

Today we celebrate the Day of the Dead

Nos esperamos con brazos abiertos (We await for each other with arms wide open)

We await for each other with arms wide open

Nuestros ancestros vamos a honrar (Our ancestors, we will honor)

Our ancestors, we will honor

Hoy es un día para celebrar (Today is a day to celebrate)

Today is a day to celebrate

Es un legado a una generación (It’s a legacy for each generation)

It’s a legacy for each generation

Que siga en ellos esta tradición (So they can continue this tradition)

So they can continue this tradition

Que lindo, que lindo (How beautiful, so beautiful)

How beautiful, so beautiful

Que vivan en nuestras memorias (That they live in our memories)

That they live in our memories

Que lindo, que lindo (How beautiful, so beautiful)

How beautiful, so beautiful

Que celebremos sus historias (That we celebrate their stories)

That we celebrate their stories

Hoy celebramos el Día de los Muertos (Today we celebrate the Day of the Dead)

Today we celebrate the Day of the Dead

Nos esperamos con brazos abiertos (We await for each other with arms wide open)

We await for each other with arms wide open

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
vela /ˈbe.la/ A1	noun - candle
copal /koˈpal/ B2	noun - a type of resin used for incense
cenizas /θeˈni.θas/ A2	noun - ashes
sal /sal/ A1	noun - salt
pan dulce /pan ˈdul.θe/ B1	noun - sweet bread
retrato /reˈtɾa.to/ B1	noun - portrait
altar /alˈtaɾ/ A2	noun - altar
flores /ˈflo.res/ A1	noun - flowers
memorias /meˈmo.ɾjas/ B1	noun - memories
historias /isˈto.ɾjas/ B1	noun - stories
celebrar /θeleˈβɾaɾ/ A2	verb - to celebrate
honrar /onˈɾaɾ/ B2	verb - to honor
tradición /tɾa.diˈθjon/ B2	noun - tradition
legado /leˈɣa.ðo/ B2	noun - legacy
generación /xeneɾaˈθjon/ B2	noun - generation

Key Grammar Structures

• Prende una vela y enciende el copal

  ➔ Imperative mood for giving commands.

  ➔ The phrase uses the imperative form of the verbs "prender" and "encender" to instruct someone to perform actions.

• Y recuerda los tiempos de ayer

  ➔ Present tense for habitual actions.

  ➔ The verb "recuerda" is in the present tense, indicating an action that is generally true or habitual.

• Que celebremos sus historias

  ➔ Subjunctive mood for expressing wishes or hopes.

  ➔ The phrase uses the subjunctive form "celebremos" to express a desire to celebrate their stories.

• Hoy celebramos el Día de los Muertos

  ➔ Present tense for stating facts.

  ➔ The verb "celebramos" is in the present tense, indicating a current action or fact.

• Es un legado a una generación

  ➔ Simple present for definitions.

  ➔ The phrase uses the simple present "es" to define what something is.

• Que siga en ellos esta tradición

  ➔ Subjunctive mood for expressing hopes.

  ➔ The phrase uses the subjunctive form "siga" to express a hope that this tradition continues.