Mãe – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Mariza

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music can be a deeply enriching experience, and Mariza's 'Mãe' offers a beautiful entry point into Portuguese. The song's clear and emotive lyrics about a child's love for their mother provide a moving context for learning vocabulary related to family and affection. The heartfelt sentiment of the song makes the language accessible and memorable, allowing learners to connect with Portuguese on an emotional level.

[English]

Mom, I discovered that time stops

And the world doesn't separate

My heart from yours

I know that this rare thing

Increases, unsettles, but stops

When your time is my time

Mom, sing with pride

Because I'm old enough to know

That truly in every verse of yours

Where you are, I am too

Mom, with you time stops

Our love is a rare thing

And you cherish a kiss of mine

I know that in every gesture of yours

Your heart is in mine

Mom, sing with pride

Because I'm old enough to know

That truly in every verse of yours

Where you are, I am too

If I could command the world

To stop time at my will

I would paint your heart with the colors of happiness

In every gesture of yours, your heart is in mine

...

Mom, sing with pride

Because I'm old enough to know

That truly in every verse of yours

Mom, our wait was worth it

...

[Portuguese]

Mãe, descobri que o tempo para

E o mundo não separa

O meu coração do teu

Eu sei que essa coisa rara

Aumenta, desassossega, mas para

Quando o teu tempo é o meu

Mãe, canta com vaidade

Porque já tenho idade p'ra saber

Que em verdade em cada verso teu

Onde tu estás estou eu

Mãe, contigo o tempo para

Nosso amor é coisa rara

E cuidas de um beijo meu

Sei que em cada gesto teu

Está teu coração no meu

Mãe, canta com vaidade

Porque já tenho idade p'ra saber

Que em verdade em cada verso teu

Onde tu estás estou eu

Se pudesse mandar no mundo

Parar o tempo à minha vontade

Pintava teu coração com as cores da felicidade

Em cada gesto teu está teu coração no meu

Mãe, canta com vaidade

Porque já tenho idade p'ra saber

Que em verdade em cada verso teu

Mãe, a nossa espera valeu

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
mãe /mɐ̃j/ A1	noun - mother
coração /koɾaˈsɐ̃w/ A2	noun - heart
tempo /ˈtẽpu/ A2	noun - time
amor /aˈmoʁ/ A2	noun - love
verso /ˈvɛʁsu/ B1	noun - verse
saber /saˈbeʁ/ B1	verb - to know
cantar /kɐ̃ˈtaʁ/ A2	verb - to sing
coisa /ˈkoizɐ/ A1	noun - thing
idade /iˈdadʒi/ B1	noun - age
gesto /ˈʒɛʃtu/ B2	noun - gesture
felicidade /feli.siˈdadʒi/ B2	noun - happiness
parar /paˈɾaʁ/ A2	verb - to stop
mandar /mɐ̃ˈdaʁ/ B1	verb - to send
vaidade /vɐjˈdadʒi/ B2	noun - vanity
contigo /kõˈtʃiɡu/ B1	adverb - with you

Key Grammar Structures

• descobri que o tempo para

  ➔ Subjunctive mood with 'que' to introduce a subordinate clause.

  ➔ The phrase uses the **subjunctive** mood to express doubt, emotion, or subjectivity following 'que'.

• o mundo não separa

  ➔ Negation with 'não' to make a negative statement.

  ➔ Using **negation** with 'não' to express the absence or opposite of an action or state.

• O meu coração do teu

  ➔ Definite article 'o' with possessive pronoun 'meu' for the noun 'coração'

  ➔ Use of **definite article** and **possessive pronoun** to specify the noun 'heart' belonging to the speaker.

• canta com vaidade

  ➔ Verb 'canta' in the present indicative mood; 'com' + noun to indicate manner.

  ➔ The verb **canta** is in the **present indicative** tense, indicating an ongoing action; **com vaidade** describes **manner** with 'vaidade' meaning vanity or pride.

• O tempo para

  ➔ Definite article 'o' + noun 'tempo' used metaphorically to indicate time stopping or pausing.

  ➔ The phrase uses **definite article** with 'tempo' metaphorically to express the idea of time stopping or pausing.

• Em cada verso teu

  ➔ Preposition 'em' + noun phrase 'cada verso teu' indicating location or presence.

  ➔ Use of the **preposition** 'em' with a **noun phrase** to denote the place where the subject is expressed.

• Nada entre nós pode separar

  ➔ Negative pronoun 'nada' + verb 'pode separar' indicating impossibility.

  ➔ The **negative pronoun** 'nada' combined with the **modal verb** 'pode' and infinitive 'separar' expresses **impossibility**.

• nossa espera valeu

  ➔ Noun 'espera' with possessive 'nossa' + verb 'valeu' indicating past action or effort that succeeded.

  ➔ The **noun** 'espera' with **possessive** 'nossa' and **verb** 'valeu' in the past tense signifies that the **waiting** or **hope** was worth it.