Quisiera Ser – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Alejandro Sanz

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

Quisiera ser el dueño del pacto de tu boca

I wish I were the keeper of your lips' secrets

Quisiera ser el verbo al que no invitas

I wish I were the verb you never invite

A la fiesta de tu voz

To the party of your voice

Te has preguntado alguna vez, di la verdad

Have you ever asked yourself, tell me the truth,

Si siente el viento, debajo de tu ropa

If the wind feels anything, beneath your clothes

Cuando te bañas en el mar desnuda

When you bathe naked in the sea,

Y te acaricia el cuerpo en la fiesta de tu piel

And it caresses your body in the celebration of your skin

Se sentirá la sal, las olas

Will it feel the salt, the waves,

Sentirá la arena, me da pena

Will it feel the sand? It makes me sad.

Quisiera ser al aire que escapa de tu risa

I wish I were the air that escapes from your laughter,

Quisiera ser la sal para escocerte en tus heridas

I wish I were the salt to sting your wounds,

Quisiera ser la sangre que envuelves con tu vida

I wish I were the blood you envelop with your life,

Quisiera ser el sueño que jamás compartirías

I wish I were the dream you would never share,

Y el jardín de tu alegría, en la fiesta de tu piel

And the garden of your joy, in the celebration of your skin.

Son esos besos que ni frío ni calor

They are those kisses that are neither cold nor hot,

Pero si son de tu boca, también los quiero yo

But if they are from your mouth, I want them too.

Quisiera ser sincero

I wish I could be honest,

Apuesto a que te pierdo

I bet I'll lose you.

En esta frase sólo pido tu perdón

With this line, I only ask for your forgiveness.

Por qué no escribo algo mejor, ay yo no sé

Why don't I write something better? Oh, I don't know.

Me has preguntado alguna vez

Have you ever asked me,

Por preguntar, qué es lo que quiero

Just to ask, what it is I want?

Por qué motivo he dibujado el aire

For what reason I've sketched the air,

Que jugaba a ser silencio

That played at being silence,

Si en realidad te entiendo o sólo nos queremos

If I truly understand you, or if we just love each other.

Y si a la noche como a mí le duele tanto

And if the night, like me, hurts so much,

Desear de lejos

To long from afar.

Se sentirá la sal, las olas

Will it feel the salt, the waves,

Sentirá la arena, me da pena

Will it feel the sand? It makes me sad.

Quisiera ser al aire que escapa de tu risa

I wish I were the air that escapes from your laughter,

Quisiera ser la sal para escocerte en tus heridas

I wish I were the salt to sting your wounds,

Quisiera ser la sangre que envuelves con tu vida

I wish I were the blood you envelop with your life,

Quisiera ser el sueño que jamás compartirías

I wish I were the dream you would never share,

Y el jardín de tu alegría, en la fiesta de tu piel

And the garden of your joy, in the celebration of your skin.

Son esos besos que ni frío ni calor

They are those kisses that are neither cold nor hot,

Pero si son de tu boca, también los quiero yo, no, no, no

But if they are from your mouth, I want them too, no, no, no.

Quisiera ser al aire que escapa de tu risa

I wish I were the air that escapes from your laughter,

Quisiera ser la sal para escocerte en tus heridas

I wish I were the salt to sting your wounds,

Quisiera ser la sangre que envuelves con tu vida

I wish I were the blood you envelop with your life,

Quisiera ser el sueño que jamás compartirías

I wish I were the dream you would never share,

Y el jardín de tu alegría, en la fiesta de tu piel

And the garden of your joy, in the celebration of your skin.

Quisiera ser al aire que escapa de tu risa

I wish I were the air that escapes from your laughter,

Quisiera ser la sal para escocerte en tus heridas

I wish I were the salt to sting your wounds,

Quisiera ser la sangre que envuelves con tu vida

I wish I were the blood you envelop with your life.

Si quieres ser el aire

If you want to be the air,

Yo te invito niña a mi camisa, mi camisa

I invite you, girl, to my shirt, my shirt,

De tu alegría, y la fiesta de tu piel, no, no, no

Your joy, and the celebration of your skin, no, no, no.

Quisiera ser al aire que escapa de tu risa

I wish I were the air that escapes from your laughter,

Quisiera ser la sal para escocerte en tus heridas

I wish I were the salt to sting your wounds,

Quisiera ser la sangre que envuelves con tu vida

I wish I were the blood you envelop with your life,

Quisiera ser el sueño que jamás compartirías

I wish I were the dream you would never share,

Y el jardín de tu alegría, en la fiesta de tu piel

And the garden of your joy, in the celebration of your skin.

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Quisiera /kiˈsjɛɾa/ B1	verb (conditional form of 'querer') - I would like; I would wish
dueño /ˈdwɛɲo/ B1	noun - owner; master
pacto /ˈpakto/ B2	noun - pact; agreement; covenant
boca /ˈboka/ A1	noun - mouth
verbo /ˈβɛɾβo/ B2	noun - verb (grammar) noun - word (philosophical/religious, e.g., 'the Word')
fiesta /ˈfjɛsta/ A1	noun - party; celebration
viento /ˈbjɛnto/ A2	noun - wind
desnuda /dɛsˈnuða/ B1	adjective - naked; bare (feminine singular)
piel /ˈpjɛl/ A2	noun - skin
sal /ˈsal/ A2	noun - salt
olas /ˈolas/ A2	noun (plural of 'ola') - waves
arena /aˈɾena/ A2	noun - sand
pena /ˈpena/ B1	noun - pity; sorrow; grief
risa /ˈrisa/ A2	noun - laughter
heridas /ɛˈɾiðas/ B1	noun (plural of 'herida') - wounds; injuries
sangre /ˈsaŋɡɾe/ B1	noun - blood
sueño /ˈswɛɲo/ A2	noun - dream noun - sleep
alegría /aleˈɣɾia/ A2	noun - joy; happiness
besos /ˈbesos/ A1	noun (plural of 'beso') - kisses
sincero /sinˈseɾo/ B1	adjective - sincere; frank; honest

Key Grammar Structures

• Quisiera ser el dueño del pacto de tu boca

  ➔ Imperfect Subjunctive / Conditional for polite wish

  ➔ "Quisiera" is the imperfect subjunctive of "querer" (to want), often used in a polite way to express a wish or desire, similar to the conditional "I would like to be."

• Te has preguntado alguna vez, di la verdad

  ➔ Present Perfect (Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto) + Reflexive Pronoun

  ➔ "Te has preguntado" combines the auxiliary verb "haber" in the present tense ("has") with the past participle "preguntado" (asked) to form the present perfect, indicating an action completed in a recent or undefined past with relevance to the present. The pronoun "te" makes it a reflexive verb, meaning "you have asked yourself."

• Cuando te bañas en el mar desnuda

  ➔ Temporal Clause with "Cuando" + Reflexive Verb in Present Tense

  ➔ "Cuando te bañas" introduces a temporal clause, specifying "when" an action occurs. "Te bañas" is the reflexive verb "bañarse" (to bathe oneself) conjugated in the present indicative, showing that the subject performs the action on themselves.

• Se sentirá la sal, las olas

  ➔ Reflexive Passive / Impersonal "Se" + Simple Future Tense

  ➔ "Se sentirá" uses the impersonal "se" construction (or reflexive passive) with the future tense of "sentir" (to feel). It indicates that the salt and waves *will be felt* by someone, but the doer of the action is not specified, making the statement general or impersonal.

• Son esos besos que ni frío ni calor

  ➔ Relative Pronoun "que" + "Ni...ni..." Construction

  ➔ "que" acts as a relative pronoun, introducing a descriptive clause about "esos besos" (those kisses). The phrase "ni frío ni calor" uses the correlative conjunction "ni...ni..." (neither...nor...) to express that the kisses lack both coldness and warmth, meaning they are indifferent or lukewarm.

• Pero si son de tu boca, también los quiero yo

  ➔ Type 1 Conditional Clause + Direct Object Pronouns

  ➔ The phrase starts with a Type 1 conditional clause ("si son de tu boca" - if they are from your mouth) expressing a real or very likely condition. "los quiero" uses the direct object pronoun "los" (them) referring back to "besos", placed before the conjugated verb "quiero" (I want).

• Apuesto a que te pierdo

  ➔ Verb + Preposition "a" + Conjunction "que" (Verbs followed by prepositions + que)

  ➔ The verb "apostar" (to bet) is followed by the preposition "a" and then the conjunction "que" before a subordinate clause. This structure ("apostar a que...") is common in Spanish for expressing a certainty or strong belief about a future event. "Te pierdo" means "I lose you."

• Y si a la noche como a mí le duele tanto

  ➔ "Gustar"-like Verb Construction (with Indirect Object Pronoun) + Comparison

  ➔ This sentence uses a "gustar"-like verb construction ("doler," to hurt), where the grammatical subject is "tanto" (so much) and "le" is an indirect object pronoun referring to "la noche" (the night). The structure "a la noche... le duele" is typical for verbs expressing sensations or emotional states, where the experience is attributed to the indirect object. "Como a mí" is a comparison "like me."

• Si quieres ser el aire

  ➔ Type 1 Conditional Clause (Real Condition)

  ➔ "Si quieres ser el aire" is a conditional clause of Type 1, which expresses a real or very probable condition in the present or future. It uses the present indicative "quieres" (you want) in the "si" clause, indicating that if this condition is met, a certain outcome will follow.