O Jardim – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Cláudia Pascoal

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the melancholic beauty of Cláudia Pascoal's "O Jardim," a tender Portuguese ballad that offers a unique window into the country's rich emotional vocabulary, especially the concept of 'saudade.' Through its poignant lyrics and the central metaphor of a garden, the song invites listeners to explore themes of loss, enduring love, and the preservation of cherished memories. Learning Portuguese phrases from this song will not only enhance your understanding of its deep meaning but also connect you to the heartfelt expressions characteristic of Portuguese culture.

[English]

I never wanted you

Less than anything

Always, my love

If you're happy in heaven too

...

Take me, I'll take care of it

Always, around you

Flowers are my place

Now that you're gone

I water your garden

Flowers are my place

Now that you're gone

I water your garden

...

I already promised

That one day I'll change

Or try to become greater

If you're happy in heaven too

...

Take me, I swear

Always, for your value

Flowers are my place

Now that you're gone

I water your garden

Flowers are my place

Now that you're gone

I water your garden

Now that you're gone

I water your garden

Now that you're gone

I water your garden

Now that you're gone

...

Now that you're gone

I water your garden

...

[Portuguese]

Eu nunca te quis

Menos do que tudo

Sempre, meu amor

Se no céu também és feliz

Leva-me eu cuido

Sempre, ao teu redor

São as flores o meu lugar

Agora que não estás

Rego eu o teu jardim

São as flores o meu lugar

Agora que não estás

Rego eu o teu jardim

Eu já prometi

Que um dia mudo

Ou tento ser maior

Se do céu também és feliz

Leva-me eu juro

Sempre, pelo teu valor

São as flores o meu lugar

Agora que não estás

Rego eu o teu jardim

São as flores o meu lugar

Agora que não estás

Rego eu o teu jardim

Agora que não estás

Rego eu o teu jardim

Agora que não estás

Rego eu o teu jardim

Agora que não estás

Agora que não estás

Rego eu o teu jardim

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
amor /aˈmoʁ/ A1	noun - love
jardim /ʒaʁˈdʒĩ/ A1	noun - garden
flores /ˈfloɾes/ A1	noun - flowers
feliz /feˈliz/ A1	adjective - happy
cuidar /kwiˈdaʁ/ A2	verb - to take care of
prometer /pɾomeˈteʁ/ B1	verb - to promise
mudar /muˈdaʁ/ B1	verb - to change
valor /vaˈloʁ/ B2	noun - value
tentar /tẽˈtaʁ/ B2	verb - to try
sempre /ˈsẽpɾi/ A1	adverb - always
ao /aw/ A1	preposition - to
lugar /luˈɡaʁ/ A2	noun - place

Key Grammar Structures

• Eu nunca te quis

  ➔ Use of the negation 'nunca' with the present tense to express 'never'.

  ➔ "nunca" is a negation adverb meaning 'never', commonly used with the present tense.

• Sempre, meu amor

  ➔ Use of 'sempre' to indicate an ongoing, continuous state or feeling.

  ➔ 'sempre' means 'always', emphasizing permanence or consistency of feelings or states.

• Se no céu também és feliz

  ➔ Use of 'se' as a conditional conjunction meaning 'if'.

  ➔ 'se' introduces a conditional clause meaning 'if', indicating a condition to the main statement.

• Rego eu o teu jardim

  ➔ Use of the verb 'regar' in the present tense to indicate ongoing action, with object pronoun placement.

  ➔ 'Rego' is the first person singular present tense of 'regar', meaning 'I water', with object pronoun 'o' attached before the verb.