Las Limeñas – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Los Ilusionistas, Walter León
• Album: Cumbias de Oro

Lyrics & Translation

Discover "Las Limeñas" by Los Ilusionistas, a foundational piece of Peruvian cumbia. Through its evocative lyrics and classic sound, you can delve into the cultural landscape of Peru and appreciate the artistic vision of Walter León Aguilar, a master of the genre.

[English]

So many beautiful women from Lima

And I don't know who to look at

So many lips to kiss

And I don't know who to love

Limas women walking by

Make me go crazy

They're like roses from a garden of love

Someone planted it

Limas women walking by

Make me go crazy

They're like roses from a garden of love

Someone planted it.

Repeat everything.

...

[Spanish]

Tantas limeñas tan lindas que hay

Y yo no sé a quien mirar

Tanta boquita para besar

Y yo no sé a quien amar

Las limeñas con su caminar

Me hacen delirar

Son rosas de un jardín de amor

Que alguien planto

Las limeñas con su caminar

Me hacen delirar

Son rosas de un jardín de amor

Que alguien planto.

Repetir todo.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
limeñas /liˈmeɲas/ B1	noun (plural) - women from Lima, Peru
lindas /ˈlindas/ A1	adjective (plural, feminine) - beautiful, pretty
hay /aj/ A1	verb (form of haber) - there is, there are
sé /se/ A1	verb (form of saber) - I know
mirar /miˈɾaɾ/ A1	verb - to look, to watch
boquita /βoˈkita/ B1	noun (diminutive of boca) - little mouth
besar /beˈsaɾ/ A1	verb - to kiss
amar /aˈmaɾ/ A1	verb - to love
caminar /kamiˈnaɾ/ A1	verb - to walk noun - gait, walk, way of walking
hacen /ˈasen/ A1	verb (form of hacer) - they make, they do
delirar /deliˈɾaɾ/ B2	verb - to rave, to be delirious, to excite greatly
son /son/ A1	verb (form of ser) - they are
rosas /ˈrosas/ A1	noun (plural) - roses
jardín /xaɾˈðin/ A1	noun - garden
amor /aˈmoɾ/ A1	noun - love
planto /ˈplanto/ A2	verb (form of plantar) - he/she/it planted
tantas /ˈtantas/ A2	adjective/determiner (plural, feminine) - so many
tanta /ˈtanta/ A2	adjective/determiner (singular, feminine) - so much

Key Grammar Structures

• Tantas limeñas tan lindas que hay

  ➔ "Tantas... que hay" structure

  ➔ This structure expresses "so many... that exist". It combines a quantifier ("tantas") with a relative clause ("que hay") to indicate abundance. "Tan" (so) emphasizes the quality ("lindas").

• Y yo no sé a quien mirar

  ➔ "No saber a quién + infinitive"

  ➔ Used to express uncertainty or difficulty in choosing *whom* to direct an action towards. The preposition "a" is used before "quien" as it's the indirect object of the implied action (looking *at* someone).

• Tanta boquita para besar

  ➔ "Tanta... para + infinitive"

  ➔ Expresses a quantity ("tanta") available *for* a specific purpose (indicated by "para" + infinitive).

• Las limeñas con su caminar

  ➔ "Con + possessive + infinitive (as noun)"

  ➔ "Con" is used to indicate manner or accompaniment. Here, "su caminar" (their walking/way of walking) functions as a noun phrase describing *how* they are. "Su" is the possessive adjective.

• Me hacen delirar

  ➔ Causative "hacer + infinitive"

  ➔ "Hacer" is used to mean "to make" or "to cause" someone to do something. The structure is [subject] + hacer + [direct object pronoun] + [infinitive]. Here, "Me" is the direct object pronoun.

• Son rosas de un jardín de amor

  ➔ "Ser + de + noun"

  ➔ "Ser" is used for classification, identification, or origin. "De" is used here to indicate origin, material, or a characteristic of the noun ("rosas").

• Que alguien planto

  ➔ Relative clause ("Que") + Preterite tense

  ➔ The clause "Que alguien planto" modifies "jardín de amor". "Que" introduces the relative clause. "Planto" is the verb in the preterite tense (likely intended as "plantó"), indicating a completed action in the past.