Te Amo y No Te Amo – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: José José

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the soulful world of José José to master the nuances of romantic Spanish. This song is a perfect tool for learners to study expressive emotional vocabulary and the use of contradictory conjunctions to describe complex human feelings.

[English]

Even though I have an edge

When it comes to matters of love,

I know I'm like a roller coaster,

Giving you the cold shoulder then warmth.

I know I'm both a child and an adult,

Age doesn't count with me,

That I might praise you and then insult you,

That I am both a lie and the truth.

I love you and I don't love you,

I seek you out and I push you away,

I love you and I don't love you,

I am the dawn and the sunset.

I love you and I don't love you,

I blame you and I forgive you,

I love you and I don't love you,

But I won't abandon you.

Although I love your laughter,

Sometimes I make you cry,

I am a pleasure that tortures,

I am your sand and I am your sea.

And when you sleep beside me,

I am your light, your darkness,

I am your lover and I am your friend,

I am a prison and I am freedom.

I love you and I don't love you,

I seek you out and I push you away,

I love you and I don't love you,

I am the dawn and the sunset.

I love you and I don't love you,

I blame you and I forgive you,

I love you and I don't love you,

But I won't abandon you.

I love you and I don't love you,

I seek you out and I push you away,

I love you and I don't love you,

I am the dawn and the sunset.

...

[Spanish]

Aunque te llevo ventaja

En las cuestiones de amor,

Sé que soy un sube y baja,

Que te doy frío y calor.

Sé que soy niño y adulto,

En mí no cuenta la edad,

Que si te alabo te insulto,

Que soy mentira y verdad.

Te amo y no te amo,

Te busco y te rechazo,

Te amo y no te amo,

Soy mañana y ocaso.

Te amo y no te amo,

Te culpo y te perdono,

Te amo y no te amo

Pero no te abandono.

Aunque me gusta tu risa

A veces te hago llorar,

Soy placer que martiriza,

Soy tu arena y soy tu mar.

Y cuando duermes conmigo

Soy tu luz, tu obscuridad,

Soy tu amante y soy tu amigo,

Soy cárcel y libertad.

Te amo y no te amo,

Te busco y te rechazo,

Te amo y no te amo,

Soy mañana y ocaso.

Te amo y no te amo,

Te culpo y te perdono,

Te amo y no te amo

Pero no te abandono.

Te amo y no te amo,

Te busco y te rechazo,

Te amo y no te amo,

Soy mañana y ocaso.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ventaja ben-ta-xa A2	noun - advantage
cuestiones kwes-tjo-nes B1	noun - matters, issues
sube y baja su-be i ba-xa B1	noun - seesaw, up and down instability
insulto in-sul-to A2	verb - to insult
rechazo re-tcha-so B1	verb - to reject
ocaso o-ka-so C1	noun - sunset, decline
perdono per-do-no A2	verb - to forgive
abandono a-ban-do-no B1	verb - to abandon, leave
martiriza mar-ti-ri-sa C2	verb - to torment
obscuridad ob-sku-ri-dad A2	noun - darkness
amante a-man-te B1	noun - lover
cárcel kar-sel A2	noun - prison
libertad li-ber-tad A2	noun - freedom
risa ri-sa A1	noun - laughter
placer pla-ser B1	noun - pleasure

Key Grammar Structures

• Aunque te llevo ventaja

  ➔ Concessive clause with 'aunque' + indicative

  ➔ "Aunque" introduces a concession. Here, it is followed by the indicative because the speaker is stating a fact.

• Sé que soy un sube y baja

  ➔ Subordinate noun clause after 'saber que'

  ➔ Verbs of certainty like "saber" (to know) trigger the indicative in the subordinate clause.

• Que si te alabo te insulto

  ➔ Conditional 'si' clause (realis)

  ➔ The "si" here introduces a condition that is presented as a realistic/frequent occurrence, using present indicative.

• Y cuando duermes conmigo

  ➔ Temporal clause with 'cuando' + indicative

  ➔ When "cuando" refers to a recurring or present action, it is followed by the indicative.

• Soy tu luz, tu obscuridad

  ➔ Noun phrases as subject complements

  ➔ The verb "soy" (I am) is followed by nouns acting as predicative complements defining the subject.

• Aunque me gusta tu risa

  ➔ Verb 'gustar' + singular subject

  ➔ In Spanish, the verb "gustar" agrees with the thing being liked ("tu risa"), not the person who likes it.

• Pero no te abandono

  ➔ Direct object pronoun placement with conjugated verb

  ➔ The direct object pronoun ("te") must be placed before the conjugated verb "abandono".

• Soy mañana y ocaso

  ➔ Omission of the subject pronoun 'Yo'

  ➔ Spanish is a pro-drop language; the "Yo" is omitted because the verb ending "-oy" clearly indicates the first-person singular.