Do You Want to Build a Snowman? – English Lyrics

• By: Kristen Bell, Agatha Lee Monn, Katie Lopez
• Album: Frozen

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music can be a fun and effective method, and "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" is a great place to start. The song's simple vocabulary and repetitive chorus make it easy for beginners to follow along and pick up new words. The clear and expressive singing of the different actresses portraying Anna at various ages helps in understanding the emotional nuances of the lyrics, which can aid in grasping the language's tone and inflection. This song is special because it tells a touching story of sisterly love and loneliness, allowing learners to connect with the language on an emotional level.

[English]

Elsa

Do you wanna build a snowman?

Come on lets go and play

I never see you anymore

Come out the door

It's like you've gone away

We used to be best buddies

And now we're not

I wish you would tell me why!

Do you wanna build a snowman?

It doesn't have to be a snowman

Go away, Anna

Okay, bye

Do you wanna build a snowman?

Or ride our bikes around the halls

I think some company is overdue

I've started talking to

The pictures on the walls

(Hang in there, Joan!)

It gets a little lonely

All these empty rooms

Just watching the hours tick by

Elsa?

Please, I know you're in there

People are asking where you've been

They say "have courage", and I'm trying to

I'm right out here for you, just let me in

We only have each other

It's just you and me

What are we gonna do?

Do you wanna build a snowman?

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
build /bɪld/ A1	verb - to construct or create something
snowman /ˈsnoʊmæn/ A1	noun - a figure of a person made of packed snow
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation
door /dɔːr/ A1	noun - a hinged, sliding, or revolving barrier at the entrance to a building, room, or vehicle
away /əˈweɪ/ A1	adverb - to or at a distance from a particular place or person
best /best/ A1	adjective - of the highest quality, most suitable, or most desirable
tell /tel/ A1	verb - to communicate information to someone in spoken or written words
ride /raɪd/ A1	verb - to sit on and control the movement of (a horse, bicycle, motorcycle, etc.)
bikes /baɪks/ A1	noun - a bicycle
halls /hɔːlz/ A2	noun - a corridor in a building
company /ˈkʌmpəni/ A2	noun - the fact or condition of being with other people
pictures /ˈpɪktʃərz/ A2	noun - a painting, drawing, or photograph
lonely /ˈloʊnli/ B1	adjective - sad because one has no friends or company
rooms /ruːmz/ A1	noun - a space within a building, typically separated by walls
tick /tɪk/ B1	verb - to make a regular short sharp sound, like that of a clock
courage /ˈkɜːrɪdʒ/ B2	noun - the ability to do something that frightens one

Key Grammar Structures

• Do you wanna build a snowman?

  ➔ Contraction 'wanna' for 'want to'. Question formation using 'Do'.

  ➔ This line uses the informal contraction "wanna" for "want to". It demonstrates basic question formation in English. At a B2 level, students should understand and use contractions and question formation fluently.

• Come on lets go and play

  ➔ Imperative sentences (giving a command or suggestion). Use of 'let's' (let us).

  ➔ This line uses an imperative form to encourage action. "Come on" is an interjection. "Let's go and play" is a suggestion (command). B2 learners should be comfortable with imperative sentences and using 'let's'.

• I never see you anymore

  ➔ Adverb of frequency ('never'). Use of 'anymore' with negative sentences.

  ➔ This line uses "never" (an adverb of frequency) and "anymore" which indicates a change in the situation. At a B2 level, students should be able to use adverbs of frequency and "anymore" correctly in sentences.

• It's like you've gone away

  ➔ Present perfect tense ('you've gone'). Use of 'like' for comparison.

  ➔ This line uses the present perfect tense, which indicates an action that started in the past and continues to have relevance in the present. "Like" is used to make a comparison. At C1, Students should use these concepts without hesitation.

• We used to be best buddies

  ➔ Past Habit: 'used to' + infinitive

  ➔ "Used to" indicates a past habit or state that is no longer true. This demonstrates the use of modal verbs for past habits, a concept students are expected to have mastered by B2.

• I wish you would tell me why!

  ➔ Subjunctive mood ('wish' + 'would'). Expressing a desire for something different in the present/future.

  ➔ This line uses the subjunctive mood with "wish" to express a desire for something that is not currently true. The structure 'wish + would + infinitive' indicates a wish for someone to do something. This is a concept typically mastered at C1.

• I think some company is overdue

  ➔ Adjective "overdue". Impersonal "is" construction.

  ➔ Here, "overdue" means that something should have happened a while ago. The impersonal use of 'is' creates a general statement about the situation. Students at C1 should understand and appropriately use the adjective and its connotation.

• Just watching the hours tick by

  ➔ Gerund as noun ('watching'). Phrasal verb ('tick by').

  ➔ "Watching" is a gerund acting as a noun. "Tick by" is a phrasal verb that means time is passing slowly. C2 learners should be able to identify and utilize complex grammatical structures and phrasal verbs with ease.