Valsinha – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Chico Buarque
• Album: Construção

Lyrics & Translation

"Valsinha" offers a beautiful gateway into the Portuguese language through its rich and subtle lyrical narrative. The song's evocative poetry, crafted by Chico Buarque, demonstrates how everyday language can convey profound emotions and socio-political undertones, making it special for its artistic depth and historical context. Learning the lyrics allows users to appreciate the nuances of Brazilian Portuguese and the masterful use of allegory that enabled artists to express dissent during a period of intense censorship.

[English]

One day he arrived so different

From the way he’d always come

He looked at her with a much warmer gaze

Than he’d ever looked before

And he didn’t curse life as much

As he’d always done when he’d speak

Nor did he leave her alone in a corner

To her great surprise, he invited her to spin

And then she made herself beautiful

As she hadn’t dared to in a long time

In her low-cut dress

Smelling of storage from so much waiting

Then the two linked arms

As people hadn’t done in a long time

Full of tenderness and grace

They went to the square and started to embrace

And there they danced so many dances

That the whole neighborhood woke up

And there was so much happiness

That the entire city lit up

And there were so many wild kisses

So many hoarse shouts like no one had heard anymore

That the world understood

And the day dawned in peace

...

[Portuguese]

Um dia ele chegou tão diferente

Do seu jeito de sempre chegar

Olhou-a de um jeito muito mais quente

Do que sempre costumava olhar

E não maldisse a vida tanto

Quanto era seu jeito de sempre falar

E nem deixou-a só num canto

Pra seu grande espanto convidou-a pra rodar

E então ela se fez bonita

Como há muito tempo não queria ousar

Com seu vestido decotado

Cheirando a guardado de tanto esperar

Depois os dois deram-se os braços

Como há muito tempo não se usava dar

E cheios de ternura e graça

Foram para a praça e começaram a se abraçar

E ali dançaram tanta dança

Que a vizinhança toda despertou

E foi tanta felicidade

Que toda cidade se iluminou

E foram tantos beijos loucos

Tantos gritos roucos como não se ouvia mais

Que o mundo compreendeu

E o dia amanheceu em paz

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
chegou ʃeˈɡou A1	verb - to arrive
diferente dʒifeˈɾẽtʃi A1	adjective - different
quente ˈkẽtʃi A1	adjective - hot
maldisse mawˈdʒisi B1	verb - to curse
convite kõˈviti A2	noun - invitation
bonita boˈnita A1	adjective - pretty
decotado dekoˈtadu B1	adjective - low-cut
guardado ɡwaɾˈdadu A2	adjective - stored
ternura tɛɾˈnuɾa B1	noun - tenderness
graça ˈɡɾasa A2	noun - grace
praça ˈpɾasa A1	noun - square
abraçar abɾaˈsaɾ A1	verb - to hug
dança ˈdɐ̃sa A1	noun - dance
felicidade feliˈsidadi A1	noun - happiness
beijos ˈbejʒus A1	noun - kisses
gritos ˈɡɾituʒ A1	noun - shouts
compreendeu kõpɾeeˈdeɾu A2	verb - to understand

Key Grammar Structures

• Um dia ele chegou tão diferente

  ➔ Comparison with "tão" + adjective

  ➔ The adverb "tão" intensifies the adjective "diferente" and translates as “so”.

• Olhou‑a de um jeito mais quente

  ➔ Comparative with "mais" + adjective

  ➔ The word "mais" makes the adjective "quente" comparative, meaning “more”.

• E não maldisse a vida tanto

  ➔ Negation with "não" + verb (pretérito perfeito)

  ➔ The particle "não" placed before the verb "maldisse" creates a negative statement in the past.

• Quanto era seu jeito de sempre falar

  ➔ Infinitive after preposition "de"

  ➔ The infinitive "falar" follows the preposition "de", a structure used to express purpose or habit.

• E nem deixou‑a só num canto

  ➔ Contraction "num" = "em + um"

  ➔ The form "num" merges the preposition "em" with the article "um", meaning “in a”.

• Pra seu grande espanto convidou‑a pra rodar

  ➔ Colloquial preposition "pra" = "para" before infinitive

  ➔ The informal "pra" replaces "para" and introduces the infinitive "rodar" (to dance).

• E então ela se fez bonita

  ➔ Reflexive verb with "se" indicating a change of state

  ➔ The pronoun "se" in "se fez" shows that she transformed herself, literally “made herself beautiful”.

• Depois os dois deram‑se os braços

  ➔ Reciprocal verb with clitic "‑se"

  ➔ The suffix "‑se" marks a reciprocal action: "deram‑se" means “they gave each other”.