En las Puertas del Colegio – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the Spanish language through the youthful romanticism of José José's "En las Puertas del Colegio." This track, a successful adaptation of a Chilean 'nueva ola' hit, showcases the evolution of the 'Príncipe de la Canción' into a more contemporary figure, making its lyrics a delightful glimpse into a specific era of Latin pop music perfect for learners interested in expressive, slightly nostalgic themes.

[English]

Today I uselessly remember you

Now that the fire of your love has gone out

Today I remember you...

And everything we lived through, you and I

Returns to my mind and makes me understand

That I lost a great love...

How lovely it was

When I used to wait for you at the school gates

And you would tell me

With your beautiful eyes how much you loved me

How lovely it was

When I used to wait for you at the school gates

And you would tell me

With your beautiful eyes how much you loved me...

...

I see your face among girls in blue

And in their notebooks I search for that heart

That you engraved for me...

I want you to know that I hold no grudge

Because I realize the mistake was mine

I don't deserve forgiveness...

How lovely it was

When I used to wait for you at the school gates

And you would tell me

With your beautiful eyes how much you loved me

How lovely it was

When I used to wait for you at the school gates

And you would tell me

With your beautiful eyes how much you loved me

How lovely it was

When I used to wait for you at the school gates

...

[Spanish]

Inútilmente hoy me acuerdo de ti

Cuando ya el fuego de tu amor se apagó

Hoy me acuerdo de ti...

Y todo aquello que vivimos tú y yo

Vuelve a mi mente y me hace comprender

Que perdí un gran amor...

Qué lindo era

Cuando yo en las puertas del colegio te esperaba

Y me decías

Con tus bellos ojos lo mucho que me querías

Qué lindo era

Cuando yo en las puertas del colegio te esperaba

Y me decías

Con tus bellos ojos lo mucho que me querías...

Veo tu rostro entre chicas de azul

Y en sus cuadernos busco aquel corazón

Que grabaste por mí...

Quiero que sepas que no guardo rencor

Pues me doy cuenta que mío fué el error

No merezco perdón...

Qué lindo era

Cuando yo en las puertas del colegio te esperaba

Y me decías

Con tus bellos ojos lo mucho que me querías

Qué lindo era

Cuando yo en las puertas del colegio te esperaba

Y me decías

Con tus bellos ojos lo mucho que me querías

Qué lindo era

Cuando yo en las puertas del colegio te esperaba

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
inútilmente iˈnu.til.men.te B2	adverb - uselessly, fruitlessly
fuego ˈfwe.ɣo A2	noun - fire
apagó a.paˈɣo A2	verb - extinguished, turned off
vivimos biˈbi.mos A2	verb - we lived
comprender kom.prenˈdeɾ B1	verb - to understand
perdí peɾˈdi A2	verb - I lost
lindo ˈlin.do A2	adjective - beautiful, lovely
esperaba es.peˈɾa.βa A2	verb - I was waiting
bellos ˈbe.ʎos B1	adjective - beautiful
querías keˈɾi.as A2	verb - you loved, you wanted
rostro ˈros.tɾo B1	noun - face
chicas ˈt͡ʃi.kas A2	noun - girls
cuadernos kwaˈdeɾ.nos A2	noun - notebooks
corazón ko.ɾaˈθon A2	noun - heart
grabaste ɡɾaˈβas.te B1	verb - you engraved, you recorded
rencor reŋˈkoɾ B2	noun - resentment, grudge
error eˈroɾ A2	noun - mistake, error
merezco meˈɾeθ.ko B1	verb - I deserve

Key Grammar Structures

• Inútilmente hoy me acuerdo de ti

  ➔ Adverb placement

  ➔ The adverb 'inútilmente' is placed before the verb 'me acuerdo' to emphasize the manner of the action.

• Cuando ya el fuego de tu amor se apagó

  ➔ Past tense with 'se'

  ➔ The verb 'apagó' is in the preterite tense, and 'se' indicates a reflexive or impersonal action.

• Que perdí un gran amor...

  ➔ Past tense with 'perder'

  ➔ The verb 'perdí' is in the preterite tense, indicating a completed action in the past.

• Con tus bellos ojos lo mucho que me querías

  ➔ Relative pronoun 'que'

  ➔ The relative pronoun 'que' introduces a relative clause that describes 'lo mucho'.

• Quiero que sepas que no guardo rencor

  ➔ Subjunctive mood

  ➔ The verb 'sepas' is in the subjunctive mood, used after 'quiero que' to express a wish or desire.