Flagrante – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: António Zambujo
• Album: Quinto

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a journey of cultural immersion, and António Zambujo's "Flagrante" is a perfect starting point for diving into Portuguese. The song's clear narrative and use of colloquial expressions like "pedaço de mau caminho" offer a glimpse into the everyday poetry of the language. Its blend of traditional Fado with international sounds makes it a unique and engaging piece that showcases the evolution of Portuguese music.

[English]

I warned you, my love

That it couldn't work out

That it was something to avoid

Like me, you should have guessed

That with people so close by

Someone would notice

But no

You pouted

And like in a promise

You stood naked for me

A piece of bad path

Where was my head

When I said yes to you

Even though you swore

To remain discreet

Since we weren't alone

Listening in the next room

Your moans of pleasure

Came to know about us

I didn't even notice what happened

But faster and smarter

They only caught a glimpse of you

I took on the shame

In front of the open door

I was holding my pants

...

I warned you, my love

That it couldn't work out

And it was something to avoid

That like me, you should have guessed

That with people so close by

Someone would notice

But no

You pouted

And like in a promise

You stood naked for me

A piece of bad path

Where was my head

When I said yes to you

Even though you swore

To remain discreet

Since we weren't alone

Listening in the next room

Your moans of pleasure

Came to know about us

I didn't even notice what happened

But faster and smarter

They only caught a glimpse of you

I took on the shame

In front of the open door

I was holding my pants

I took on the shame

In front of the open door

I was holding my pants

I took on the shame

In front of the open door

...

[Portuguese]

Bem te avisei, meu amor

Que não podia dar certo

Que era coisa de evitar

Como eu, devias supor

Que, com gente ali tão perto

Alguém fosse reparar

Mas não

Fizeste beicinho

E como numa promessa

Ficaste nua para mim

Pedaço de mau caminho

Onde é que eu tinha a cabeça

Quando te disse que sim

Embora tenhas jurado

Discreta permanecer

Já que não estávamos sós

Ouvindo na sala ao lado

Teus gemidos de prazer

Vieram saber de nós

Nem dei pelo que aconteceu

Mas mais veloz e mais esperta

Só te viram de raspão

A vergonha passei-a eu

Diante da porta aberta

Estava de calças na mão

Bem te avisei, meu amor

Que não podia dar certo

E era coisa de evitar

Que como eu, devias supor

Que, com gente ali tão perto

Alguém fosse reparar

Mas não

Fizeste beicinho

E como numa promessa

Ficaste nua para mim

Pedaço de mau caminho

Onde é que eu tinha a cabeça

Quando te disse que sim

Embora tenhas jurado

Discreta permanecer

Já que não estávamos sós

Ouvindo na sala ao lado

Teus gemidos de prazer

Vieram saber de nós

Nem dei pelo que aconteceu

Mas mais veloz e mais esperta

Só te viram de raspão

A vergonha passei-a eu

Diante da porta aberta

Estava de calças na mão

A vergonha passei eu

Diante da porta aberta

Estava de calças na mão

A vergonha passei eu

Diante da porta aberta

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
amor /aˈmoʁ/ A1	noun - love
cabeça /kaˈbe.sɐ/ A2	noun - head
prazer /pɾaˈzeʁ/ B1	noun - pleasure
promessa /pɾoˈmɛ.sɐ/ B1	noun - promise
vergonha /veʁˈɡo.ɲɐ/ B2	noun - shame
sala /ˈsa.lɐ/ A1	noun - room
gemido /ʒeˈmi.ðu/ B2	noun - moan
calças /ˈkaɫ.sɐs/ A2	noun - pants
fizeste /fiˈzeʃ.tɨ/ B1	verb - you did
evitar /e.viˈtaʁ/ B1	verb - to avoid
reparar /ʁe.paˈɾaʁ/ B1	verb - to notice
jurado /ʒuˈɾa.ðu/ B2	verb - sworn
esperta /esˈpeʁ.tɐ/ B2	adjective - smart
veloz /veˈloz/ B2	adjective - fast
pedaço /peˈda.su/ B1	noun - piece

Key Grammar Structures

• Que não podia dar certo

  ➔ Use of imperfect subjunctive to express doubt or unreality in a past context.

  ➔ The phrase "não podia" uses the imperfect form of "poder" (to be able) in the subjunctive mood, indicating an unreal or hypothetical situation.

• Estava de calças na mão

  ➔ Use of the imperfect indicative to describe a state or ongoing action in the past.

  ➔ The phrase "Estava de calças na mão" uses the imperfect indicative "Estava" to describe a continuous or background action in the past.

• Fizeste beicinho

  ➔ Use of the simple past (preterite) indicative to describe a completed action.

  ➔ The verb "Fizeste" is the second person singular form of "fazer" in the preterite tense, indicating a completed action in the past.

• Discreta permanecer

  ➔ Use of the present subjunctive to express a wish, doubt, or suggestion about remaining discreet.

  ➔ The phrase "Discreta permanecer" features the present subjunctive form "permanecer" to express a wish or recommendation.

• Nem dei pelo que aconteceu

  ➔ Use of past perfect indicative to indicate an action completed before another past action.

  ➔ The phrase "Nem dei pelo que aconteceu" employs the preterite perfect "dei" (from "dar") to indicate a completed action in past, with "pelo que aconteceu" referring to what happened.

• Diante da porta aberta

  ➔ Use of the preposition "diante" (in front of) to indicate position or context.

  ➔ The phrase "Diante da porta aberta" uses the preposition "diante" to specify the position in front of the open door, setting the scene.