Día de los Muertos – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Nathalia

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant traditions of Día de los Muertos with Nathalia's engaging song! This bilingual track offers a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in Spanish, learning key vocabulary related to this beautiful Mexican holiday while experiencing its rich cultural significance through a catchy and heartwarming melody. Discover how music can make language learning a joyous journey!

[English]

Light a candle and burn some incense

Ashes and a little salt

Sweet bread to eat and something to drink

Let’s remember the times of yesterday

Bring portraits of those who are gone

And place it on an altar

Colorful banners, pathways of flowers

And offerings to remember them by

How beautiful, so beautiful

That they live in our memories

How beautiful, so beautiful

That we celebrate their stories

Today we celebrate the Day of the Dead

We await for each other with arms wide open

Our ancestors, we will honor

Today is a day to celebrate

It’s a legacy for each generation

So they can continue this tradition

How beautiful, so beautiful

That they live in our memories

How beautiful, so beautiful

That we celebrate their stories

Today we celebrate the Day of the Dead

We await for each other with arms wide open

[Spanish]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Que celebremos sus historias (That we celebrate their stories)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Que celebremos sus historias (That we celebrate their stories)

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

Nos esperamos con brazos abiertos (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.