La Vida Pasa – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José
• Album: Mujeriego

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

They see her passing

From corner to corner

Her walk

The men stare

Her youth

They want to have it

She offers it

It doesn’t matter who

From a blue car

The door opens

Without hesitation

She moves closer

He is a gentleman

She goes with him

Indifferent

Life goes by

And she writes to her family in her letters

That she is the secretary to the office boss

That it’s a very good job, everyone likes her

That she’ll send money next month

That she greatly misses home and loves them

They see her passing

In the early morning

Her youth

Looks tired

The reality

Her solitude

Indifferent

Life passes

And she writes to her family in her letters

That she is the secretary to the office boss

That it’s a very good job, everyone likes her

That she’ll send money next month

That she greatly misses home and loves them

And she writes to her family in her letters

That she is the secretary to the office boss

That it’s a very good job, everyone likes her

That she’ll send money next month

That she greatly misses home and loves them

And she writes to her family in her letters

That she is the secretary to the office boss

That it’s a very good job, everyone likes her

[Spanish]

La ven pasar

De esquina a esquina

Su caminar

Los hombres miran

Su juventud

Quieren tener

Ella la ofrece

No importa quien

De un coche azul

Se abre la puerta

Sin titubear

Ella se acerca

Es un señor

Se va con él

Indiferente

La vida pasa

Y ella le escribe en sus cartas a su familia

Que es secretaria del jefe de una oficina

Que es un trabajo muy bueno, todos la quieren

Que va mandar un dinero el mes que viene

Que extraña mucho la casa y que los quiere

La ven pasar

De madrugada

Su juventud

Se ve cansada

La realidad

Su soledad

Indiferente

La vida pasa

Y ella le escribe en sus cartas a su familia

Que es secretaria del jefe de una oficina

Que es un trabajo muy bueno, todos la quieren

Que va mandar un dinero el mes que viene

Que extraña mucho la casa y que los quiere

Y ella le escribe en sus cartas a su familia

Que es secretaria del jefe de una oficina

Que es un trabajo muy bueno, todos la quieren

Que va mandar un dinero el mes que viene

Que extraña mucho la casa y que los quiere

Y ella le escribe en sus cartas a su familia

Que es secretaria del jefe de una oficina

Que es un trabajo muy bueno, todos la quieren

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
pasar paˈsar A1	verb - to pass, to happen
caminar kamiˈnar A1	verb - to walk
juventud xuβenˈtud A2	noun - youth
ofrecer oˈfɾeθer A2	verb - to offer
titubear titubeˈar B1	verb - to hesitate
indiferente indifeˈɾente A2	adjective - indifferent
secretaria sekɾeˈtari.a A1	noun - secretary
jefe ˈxefe A1	noun - boss
oficina ofiˈθina A1	noun - office
mandar manˈðar A1	verb - to send
dinero diˈneɾo A1	noun - money
extrañar extraˈɲar A2	verb - to miss
realidad realiˈðad A2	noun - reality
soledad soleˈðad A2	noun - loneliness
escribir esκɾiˈβiɾ A1	verb - to write

Key Grammar Structures

• La ven pasar

  ➔ Impersonal 'se' construction + Present Progressive

  ➔ The verb 'ver' (to see) is used with the impersonal 'se' to indicate that people generally see her passing. 'Pasar' is in the present progressive ('pasando') indicating an ongoing action. The structure 'se + verb in 3rd person singular' creates an impersonal statement.

• Su juventud se ve cansada

  ➔ Reflexive Verb + Adjective

  ➔ 'Se ve' is a reflexive construction meaning 'it is seen'. 'Cansada' is an adjective describing her youth. The sentence implies that her youth *appears* tired, not that it is inherently tired.

• Que es secretaria del jefe de una oficina

  ➔ Relative Clause with 'que'

  ➔ This is a relative clause providing additional information about 'ella'. 'Que' introduces the clause, and the clause functions as a noun modifier, defining what her job is.

• Que va mandar un dinero el mes que viene

  ➔ Future Tense (Ir + Infinitive)

  ➔ The construction 'ir a + infinitive' is used to express a near future action. 'Mandar' is the infinitive form of the verb 'to send'. 'El mes que viene' means 'next month'.