El Trato – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Alejandro Sanz

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

El trato era que nos amáramos hasta que desaparecieran los miedos

The deal was that we would love each other until our fears disappeared

El trato era que nos acariciáramos hasta que nos limpiáramos el cielo

The deal was that we would caress each other until we cleared our skies

El trato era que cantáramos aunque el barco se estuviera hundiendo

The deal was that we would sing even if the ship was sinking

El trato era que bailáramos mientras que explotaba el universo

The deal was that we would dance while the universe exploded

...

...

El trato era que nos quisiéramos como si fuéramos dos perros

The deal was that we would love each other like two dogs

Los dos mojados y hambrientos bajo la lluvia, bajo la lluvia de enero

Both wet and hungry in the rain, in the January rain

Durmiendo debajo de un puente enamorado, queriéndonos

Sleeping under a bridge, in love, loving each other

El trato era que nos amáramos como si no tuviéramos invierno

The deal was that we would love each other as if we had no winter

Dime cómo era el trato

Tell me what the deal was

Dime cómo era el trato

Tell me what the deal was

Maldito trato

Damn deal

Que dura un rato

That only lasts a while

El trato era que nos quisiéramos sin el permiso del cielo

The deal was that we would love each other without heaven's permission

El trato, el trato era que nos amáramos aunque nos mandara al infierno

The deal, the deal was that we would love each other even if it sent us to hell

El trato era que el trato era sagrado y ahora, niña, se ha muerto

The deal was that the deal was sacred and now, my girl, it's dead

Que qué me pasa, dicen

They say, "What's wrong with me?"

Que qué me pasa, dicen

They say, "What's wrong with me?"

No podemos llegar al final de la vida en un estado perfecto

We can't reach the end of life in a perfect state

Tenemos que llegar al final de nuestros días derrapando y medio muertos

We have to reach the end of our days skidding and half dead

Sucios, cansados, gastados, heridos, doloridos sonriendo

Dirty, tired, worn out, wounded, aching, smiling

Y cuando nos paremos tú y yo, vida mía, y miremos hacia atrás, mi amor

And when we stop, you and I, my darling, and look back, my love

Digamos los dos juntos

Let's both say together

Que el viaje estuvo bueno

That the journey was good

Maldito trato

Damn deal

Que dura un rato

That only lasts a while

El trato era que nos quisiéramos sin el permiso del cielo

The deal was that we would love each other without heaven's permission

El trato, el trato era que nos amáramos aunque nos mandara al infierno

The deal, the deal was that we would love each other even if it sent us to hell

El trato era que el trato era sagrado y eterno y ahora, niña, se ha muerto

The deal was that the deal was sacred and eternal and now, my girl, it's dead

Que qué me pasa, dicen

They say, "What's wrong with me?"

Que qué me pasa, dicen

They say, "What's wrong with me?"

El trato era que nos miráramos cuando nadie nos pudiera ver

The deal was that we would look at each other when no one could see us

Que nos amáramos tú y yo al amanecer

That you and I would love each other at dawn

Y nos perdiéramos en el agua aunque no tuviéramos sed

And we would get lost in the water even if we weren't thirsty

...

...

Que qué me pasa, dicen

They say, "What's wrong with me?"

¿Qué me pasa?

What's wrong with me?

...

...

Qué me pasa, dicen

They say, "What's wrong with me?"

¿Qué me pasa?

What's wrong with me?

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
trato /ˈtɾato/ B1	noun - deal, agreement, treatment
amar /aˈmaɾ/ A2	verb - to love
miedo /ˈmjedo/ A2	noun - fear
desaparecer /desapaɾeˈseɾ/ B1	verb - to disappear
acariciar /akaɾiˈsjaɾ/ B1	verb - to caress, to stroke
cielo /ˈsjelo/ A1	noun - sky, heaven
hundir /unˈdiɾ/ B1	verb - to sink, to submerge, to ruin
explotar /eks.ploˈtaɾ/ B2	verb - to explode, to burst
universo /u.niˈβeɾ.so/ B1	noun - universe
mojado /moˈxa.ðo/ A2	adjective - wet
hambriento /amˈbɾjen.to/ B1	adjective - hungry, starving
maldito /malˈði.to/ B2	adjective - cursed, damned, accursed (informal: damned, bloody, nasty)
rato /ˈra.to/ A2	noun - a while, a short time
permiso /peɾˈmi.so/ B1	noun - permission, permit
infierno /inˈfjeɾ.no/ B2	noun - hell
sagrado /saˈɣɾa.ðo/ B2	adjective - sacred, holy
morir /moˈɾiɾ/ A2	verb - to die
derrapar /de.raˈpaɾ/ B2	verb - to skid, to drift (a vehicle)
gastado /ɡasˈta.ðo/ B1	adjective - worn out, used up, spent
eterno /eˈteɾ.no/ B1	adjective - eternal, everlasting

Key Grammar Structures

• El trato era que nos amáramos hasta que desaparecieran los miedos

  ➔ Imperfect of 'ser' + 'que' + Imperfect Subjunctive

  ➔ This structure ("El trato era que...") is used to describe a past agreement, condition, or intention. The imperfect subjunctive ("amáramos", "desaparecieran") expresses actions or states that were "intended" or "expected" within that past agreement, often referring to a past hypothetical or desired outcome.

• Durmiendo debajo de un puente enamorado, queriéndonos

  ➔ Gerunds (Present Participles)

  ➔ The gerunds ("Durmiendo", "queriéndonos") describe actions happening simultaneously with or in relation to the main action (implied 'estaban' or 'estábamos'). "Durmiendo" shows *how* they were under the bridge, and "queriéndonos" indicates *what* they were doing. Note the attached pronoun 'nos' on "queriéndonos".

• Dime cómo era el trato

  ➔ Imperative + Indirect Interrogative Clause

  ➔ "Dime" is the informal command form of "decir" (to tell). "cómo era el trato" is an indirect question embedded within the command, asking about the nature of the "trato" in the past. The verb in the indirect question maintains its original tense ("era" - imperfect).

• Que dura un rato

  ➔ Relative Pronoun 'Que'

  ➔ "Que" acts as a relative pronoun, linking the clause "dura un rato" back to "Maldito trato" (from the previous line). It means "that" or "which" and provides essential descriptive information about the noun it refers to.

• aunque nos mandara al infierno

  ➔ Concessive Clause with 'Aunque' + Imperfect Subjunctive

  ➔ 'Aunque' (even if/though) introduces a concessive clause. The imperfect subjunctive ("mandara") is used here to express a hypothetical or counterfactual situation in the past, implying that even if this extreme condition were true, the main action (loving each other) would still occur.

• No podemos llegar al final de la vida en un estado perfecto

  ➔ Modal Verb 'Poder' (Negation)

  ➔ "No podemos" expresses inability or impossibility. It's the negative form of "we can," indicating that reaching the end of life in a perfect state is not possible for us.

• Tenemos que llegar al final de nuestros días derrapando y medio muertos

  ➔ Obligation 'Tener que' + Infinitive

  ➔ "Tenemos que" expresses a strong obligation or necessity, meaning "we have to" or "we must." It indicates that arriving at the end of life in a worn-out, 'derrapando y medio muertos' state is an unavoidable part of the journey.

• Y cuando nos paremos tú y yo, vida mía, y miremos hacia atrás, mi amor

  ➔ Temporal Clause with 'Cuando' + Present Subjunctive

  ➔ 'Cuando' introduces a temporal clause. The present subjunctive ("paremos", "miremos") is used because the action in the 'cuando' clause refers to a future event that is not yet certain but is anticipated or hypothetical.

• Que el viaje estuvo bueno

  ➔ Preterite Tense of 'Estar' (Completed Past State)

  ➔ "Estuvo" is the preterite form of "estar" (to be), used here to describe a completed action or a state that occurred at a specific point in the past and is now over. It refers to the journey being good at the time it happened.

• Que qué me pasa, dicen

  ➔ Informal Indirect Question / Reported Speech

  ➔ The initial 'Que' here is a colloquialism, often used to introduce reported speech or an indirect question in informal Spanish, especially when the speaker is surprised or reflecting on what someone else said. "qué me pasa" is the indirect question, reporting what "they say" ("dicen").