Tristeza – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Silvana Estrada

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the soulful world of Silvana Estrada with 'Tristeza,' a poignant song that beautifully captures the essence of sadness and healing. Learning Spanish through this track offers an intimate connection to poetic language and heartfelt expression. You'll discover rich vocabulary related to emotions, loss, and resilience, all wrapped in a unique blend of traditional Mexican folk and jazz. This song is special for its raw vulnerability and Estrada's evocative vocal delivery, making it a powerful and memorable way to immerse yourself in the language and culture.

[English]

Sadness, I ask you

How much longer must I wait

For you to understand

That I sing just to cry?

I ask you for a sigh

To ease the weight of love’s word

And a cautious kiss

To save me from missing

The one who’s no longer here

And you, who won’t leave

I ask you once more

Sadness, leave me be

I can’t remember now

How many kisses it takes

For the wind

To burst into dance

If once I said

That love would save me

Sadness, I beg you

Don’t twist the truth for me

Of the one who’s no longer here

And you, who won’t leave

I ask you once more

Sadness, leave me be

Sadness, leave me be

Sadness, leave me be

...

[Spanish]

Tristeza, pregunto

¿Cuánto más hay que esperar

Para que entiendas

Que yo canto por llorar?

Te pido un suspiro

Que me alivie el verbo amar

Y un beso prudente

Que me salve de extrañar

A aquel que ya no está

Y tú que no te vas

Te pido una vez más

Tristeza, déjame en paz

Ya nunca me acuerdo

Cuántos besos hay que dar

Para que el viento

Se reviente por bailar

Si un día yo dije

Que el amor me iba a salvar

Tristeza, te pido

No me cambies la verdad

De aquel que ya no está

Y tú que no te vas

Te pido una vez más

Tristeza, déjame en paz

Tristeza, déjame en paz

Tristeza, déjame en paz

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
tristeza trisˈte.sa A1	noun - sadness
pregunto preˈɣun.to A1	verb - I ask
esperar es.pe.ˈɾaɾ A1	verb - to wait
entender en.tenˈder A2	verb - to understand
canto ˈkan.to A1	verb - I sing
llorar joˈɾaɾ A1	verb - to cry
suspiro susˈpi.ɾo A2	noun - sigh
aliviar ali.ˈβjar B1	verb - to relieve
verbo ˈber.bo B1	noun - verb
amar aˈmaɾ A1	verb - to love
beso ˈbe.so A1	noun - kiss
prudente pɾuˈðen.te B1	adjective - prudent
salvar salˈβaɾ A2	verb - to save
extrañar eks.tra.ˈɲaɾ B1	verb - to miss
reventar re.benˈtaɾ B2	verb - to burst
bailar baiˈlaɾ A1	verb - to dance
verdad berˈðað A1	noun - truth

Key Grammar Structures

• Tristeza, pregunto

  ➔ Vocative case

  ➔ The word 'Tristeza' is used as a direct address, which is a vocative expression.

• ¿Cuánto más hay que esperar?

  ➔ Interrogative pronoun + verb conjugation

  ➔ 'Cuánto' is an interrogative pronoun asking for quantity, and 'hay que esperar' is a verb phrase in the present tense.

• Que yo canto por llorar

  ➔ Subjunctive mood

  ➔ The subjunctive mood is used in 'que yo canto' to express purpose or result after 'para que'.

• Te pido un suspiro

  ➔ Direct object pronoun

  ➔ 'Te' is a direct object pronoun referring to the person being addressed.

• Que me alivie el verbo amar

  ➔ Subjunctive mood + personal 'a'

  ➔ The subjunctive mood is used in 'que me alivie' and the personal 'a' is dropped before 'el verbo amar'.

• Aquel que ya no está

  ➔ Relative pronoun

  ➔ 'Que' is a relative pronoun introducing a clause that describes 'aquel'.

• Tristeza, déjame en paz

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The imperative mood is used in 'déjame en paz' to give a direct command.