Donde Estan Los Ladrones – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Shakira

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic and musical journey with Shakira's "Dónde Están los Ladrones?" This album is a rich tapestry of Latin pop, rock, and Middle Eastern influences, showcasing Shakira's poetic songwriting and powerful vocal range. By immersing yourself in its Spanish lyrics, you can uncover vivid narratives about societal critiques, heartbreak, and profound love, while appreciating the dynamic and genre-bending sounds that made this album a global phenomenon and a crucial step in Shakira's career.

[English]

They have been seen around here

They have been seen on the rooftops

Roaming around Paris

Condemning in the courts

With a powdered nose

In a tie or in blue jeans

They have been seen on all the covers

With nothing more to say

Where are the thieves?

Where is the killer?

Maybe, over there, rolling in the neighbor's yard

...

And what if it's them?

And what if it's me?

The one playing this guitar or the one singing this song

...

The one singing this song, ah-ah-ah

...

They have been seen on their knees

Sitting or squatting

Standing giving lessons

In all positions

Preaching in the churches

Even offering concerts

They have been seen at the cocktails, all

Distributing ministries

Where are the thieves?

Where is the killer?

Maybe, over there, rolling in the neighbor's yard

...

And what if it's them?

And what if it's me?

The one playing this guitar or the one singing this song

The one singing this song, ah-ah-ah

...

[Spanish]

Los han visto por ahí

Los han visto en los tejados

Dando vueltas en París

Condenando en los juzgados

Con la nariz empolvada

De corbata o de blue jeans

Los han visto en las portadas todas

Sin más nada que decir

¿Dónde están los ladrones?

¿Dónde está el asesino?

Quizá, allá, revolcándose en el patio del vecino

¿Y qué pasa si son ellos?

¿Y qué pasa si soy yo?

El que toca esta guitarra o la que canta esta canción

La que canta esta canción, ah-ah-ah

Los han visto de rodillas

Sentados o de cuclillas

Parados dando lecciones

En todas las posiciones

Predicando en las iglesias

Hasta ofreciendo conciertos

Los han visto en los cócteles, todos

Repartiendo ministerios

¿Dónde están los ladrones?

¿Dónde está el asesino?

Quizá, allá, revolcándose en el patio del vecino

¿Y qué pasa si son ellos?

¿Y qué pasa si soy yo?

El que toca esta guitarra o la que canta esta canción

La que canta esta canción, ah-ah-ah

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ladrón /laˈðɾon/ B1	noun - thief
asesino /aseˈsino/ B2	noun - murderer
guitarra /ɡiˈtarra/ A2	noun - guitar
canción /kanˈsjon/ A2	noun - song
patio /ˈpatjo/ A2	noun - courtyard
lección /lekˈsjon/ B1	noun - lesson
iglesia /iˈɡlesja/ A2	noun - church
concierto /konˈsjerto/ B1	noun - concert
ministerio /minisˈteɾjo/ B2	noun - ministry
portada /poɾˈtaða/ B1	noun - cover (of a book or magazine)
revolcar /reβolˈkaɾ/ B2	verb - to roll over
visto /ˈbisto/ A1	verb - seen (past participle of see)
nariz /naˈɾiz/ A1	noun - nose
corbata /koɾˈβata/ A2	noun - tie (clothing)
tejado /teˈxaðo/ B1	noun - roof

Key Grammar Structures

• Los han visto por ahí

  ➔ Use of 'Los' as a direct object pronoun; Haber + Past Participle (Present Perfect)

  ➔ "Los" refers to the thieves (ladrones) - a direct object pronoun. "Han visto" is the present perfect tense of the verb "ver" (to see), used to describe an action that started in the past and continues to be relevant to the present.

• Quizá, allá, revolcándose en el patio del vecino

  ➔ Use of "Quizá" indicating uncertainty; Gerund (revolcándose) expressing an action in progress

  ➔ "Quizá" translates to "maybe" or "perhaps," expressing doubt. "Revolcándose" is the gerund form of "revolcarse" (to wallow), showing an action in progress - wallowing.

• ¿Y qué pasa si son ellos?

  ➔ Use of conditional "si" to introduce a hypothetical situation.

  ➔ The conjunction "si" introduces a hypothetical question or condition. In this case, "si son ellos" introduces the condition of 'what if they are the ones?'

• La que canta esta canción

  ➔ Relative pronoun "que" referring back to a noun (la persona).

  ➔ "La que" means "the one who" or "she who." "Que" is a relative pronoun referring back to the implicit "la persona" (the person) who is singing the song.

• Parados dando lecciones

  ➔ Adjective + gerund combination to describe a state of being while performing an action.

  ➔ "Parados" (standing) is an adjective describing the subject, and "dando lecciones" (giving lessons) is a gerund phrase describing the action they're performing while standing. This creates a combined description: standing *while* giving lessons.