Vive o Dia – Bilingual Lyrics Portuguese/English

• By: Nininho Vaz Maia

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic journey with Nininho Vaz Maia's heartfelt song, "Vive o Dia"! This captivating track offers a perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in Portuguese, rich with authentic expressions and emotional depth. Its simple yet profound message about finding joy in life's small moments makes it especially relatable and a wonderful way to connect with the nuances of the language and Portuguese culture.

[English]

A humble man told

That his wealth

Is his smile

That today he didn't have dinner

But that tomorrow

Will be a new day

Now I am also rich

He filled me

With joy

Live the day

Live the day

Listen…

It's so beautiful to smile

So beautiful to live

It's so beautiful to dream

Give…

This opportunity

Give…

This opportunity

Give…

Life was given

But not guaranteed

At dawn

Your day begins

A humble man told

That his wealth is his smile

That today he didn't have dinner

But that tomorrow

Will be a new day

Now I am also rich

He filled me

With joy

Live the day

Live

Live the day

Let your body flow

With energy

It's so beautiful to smile

So beautiful to live

It's so beautiful to dream

Give…

This opportunity

Give…

This opportunity

Give…

It's so beautiful to smile

So beautiful to live

It's so beautiful to dream

Give…

This opportunity

Give…

This opportunity

Give…

It's so beautiful to smile

So beautiful to live

It's so beautiful to dream

Give…

This opportunity

Give…

This opportunity

Give…

[Portuguese]

Um homem humilde contou

Que sua riqueza

é o sorriso

Que hoje não jantou

Mas que amanhã

Será um novo dia

Agora também sou rico

Ele me contagiou

de alegria

Vive o dia

Vive o dia

Escuta…

É tão bonito sorrir

Tão bonito viver

É tão bonito sonhar

Dá…

Essa oportunidade

Dá…

Essa oportunidade

Dá…

A vida foi dada

Mas não garantida

De madrugada

Começa o teu dia

Um homem humilde contou

Que sua riqueza é o sorriso

Que hoje não jantou

Mas que amanhã

Será novo dia

Agora também sou rico

Ele contagiou

De alegria

Vive o dia

Vive

Vive o dia

Deixa o teu corpo fluir

com energia

É tão bonito sorrir

Tão bonito viver

É tão bonito sonhar

Dá…

Essa oportunidade

Dá…

Essa oportunidade

Dá…

É tão bonito sorrir

Tão bonito viver

É tão bonito sonhar

Dá…

Essa oportunidade

Dá…

Essa oportunidade

Dá…

É tão bonito sorrir

Tão bonito viver

É tão bonito sonhar

Dá…

Essa oportunidade

Dá…

Essa oportunidade

Dá…

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Vive /ˈvivɨ/ A1	verb - live (imperative of 'to live'); lives (present tense of 'to live')
Dia /ˈdiɐ/ A1	noun - day
Sorrir /suˈʁiɾ/ A1	verb - to smile
Sonhar /suˈɲaɾ/ A2	verb - to dream
Oportunidade /ɔ.pɔɾ.tu.niˈdadɨ/ B1	noun - opportunity, chance
Vida /ˈvidɐ/ A1	noun - life
Bonito /buˈnitu/ A1	adjective - beautiful, pretty
Dá /da/ A1	verb - give (imperative of 'to give'); gives (present tense of 'to give')
Homem /ˈɔmɐ̃j/ A1	noun - man, human
Humilde /uˈmildɨ/ B1	adjective - humble, modest
Riqueza /ʁiˈkezɐ/ B1	noun - wealth, richness
Sorriso /suˈʁizu/ A2	noun - smile
Alegria /ɐ.lɛˈgɾiɐ/ A2	noun - joy, happiness
Rico /ˈʁiku/ A2	adjective - rich, wealthy
Madrugada /mɐ.dɾuˈgadɐ/ B1	noun - dawn, early morning (before sunrise)
Começa /kuˈmɛsɐ/ A1	verb - begins, starts (present tense of 'to begin/start')
Corpo /ˈkɔɾpu/ A2	noun - body
Fluir /fluˈiɾ/ B2	verb - to flow, to stream; to move smoothly
Energia /ɛ.nɛɾˈʒiɐ/ A2	noun - energy, vigor
Novo /ˈnovu/ A1	adjective - new

Key Grammar Structures

• Um homem humilde contou

  ➔ Simple Past Tense (Pretérito Perfeito Simples)

  ➔ Used to describe completed actions in the past at a specific point in time. "Contou" is the 3rd person singular conjugation of the verb "contar" (to tell).

• Que sua riqueza é o sorriso

  ➔ Direct Object Noun Clause (Oração Subordinada Substantiva Objetiva Direta)

  ➔ "Que sua riqueza é o sorriso" functions as the direct object of the verb "contou" (from the preceding sentence). The conjunction "que" introduces this subordinate clause which acts as a noun.

• Mas que amanhã Será um novo dia

  ➔ Simple Future Tense (Futuro Simples) of the irregular verb 'ser'

  ➔ "Será" indicates an action that will happen in the future. It is the 3rd person singular conjugation of the irregular verb "ser" (to be).

• Ele me contagiou de alegria

  ➔ Clitic pronoun placement (Pronominalização)

  ➔ The personal object pronoun "me" (me) is placed before the conjugated verb ("contagiou"). This common placement (proclisis) is typical in Portuguese when there are no strong enclitic attractors. "Me" functions as a direct object here.

• Vive o dia

  ➔ Imperative Mood (Modo Imperativo)

  ➔ "Vive" is the 2nd person singular (tu) imperative form of the verb "viver" (to live), used to give a command, advice, or an order.

• É tão bonito sorrir

  ➔ Impersonal construction with 'ser' + intensifier 'tão' + infinitive as subject

  ➔ "É bonito" is an impersonal expression meaning "it is beautiful". The infinitive "sorrir" (to smile) functions as the subject of the sentence. "Tão" intensifies the adjective "bonito".

• A vida foi dada

  ➔ Passive Voice (Voz Passiva)

  ➔ Formed with the auxiliary verb "ser" (foi - past simple of ser) + the past participle of the main verb "dar" (dada). It emphasizes the action received by the subject ("a vida") rather than the agent performing the action. "Dada" agrees in gender and number with "vida".

• Dá… Essa oportunidade

  ➔ Imperative Mood (Modo Imperativo) + Demonstrative Adjective (Adjetivo Demonstrativo)

  ➔ "Dá" is the 2nd person singular (tu) imperative form of "dar" (to give). "Essa" is a feminine singular demonstrative adjective, used to point to something close to the listener or previously mentioned.

• Deixa o teu corpo fluir

  ➔ Causative verb 'deixar' (to let/allow) followed by an infinitive

  ➔ "Deixar" functions as a causative verb, meaning to permit or allow something to happen. It is followed by a direct object ("o teu corpo") and then an infinitive verb ("fluir") indicating the action that is permitted.