Beginners who want to learn Spanish quickly must be creative and use several innovative study techniques in order to accelerate the learning process.
Today we will use music as a learning tool by translating the lyrics of “La Tortura” (The Torture) a rhythmic song that talks about a fight between a woman (the beautiful Colombian singer known as Shakira) and her cheating boyfriend (in this case the Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz). Let’s get started!
Video of “La Tortura” with lyric in Spanish.
Lyrics of “La Tortura” in Spanish and translated to English:
- Ay payita mia, guardate la poesia
- Oh my “payita”, save the poetry for yourself
- Guardate la alegria pa’ti
- Save the joy for yourself
Shakira:
- No pido que todos los días sean de sol
- I don’t ask for sunny days only
- No pido que todos los viernes sean de fiesta
- I don’t ask for all Fridays to be party days
- Tampoco te pido que vuelvas rogando perdón
- Neither do I asked you to come back begging for forgiveness
- Si lloras con los ojos secos
- If you cry with your eyes dry
- Y hablando de ella
- and speaking about her
- Ay amor me duele tanto
- Oh my love it hurts so much
Sanz:
- Me duele tanto
- It hurts me so much
Shakira:
- Que te fueras sin decir a dónde
- That you left without saying where you are going
- Ay amor fue una tortura…
- Oh my love it was a torture…
- Perderte
- Losing you
Sanz:
- Yo sé que no he sido un santo
- I know I have not been a saint
- Pero lo puedo arreglar, amor
- But I can fix it, love
Shakira:
- No sólo de pan vive el hombre
- A man cannot live on bread alone
- Y no de excusas vivo yo
- And I do live of excuses
Sanz:
- Sólo de errores se aprende
- Only from mistakes you learn
- Y hoy sé que es tuyo mi corazón
- and today I know that my heart is yours
Shakira:
- Mejor te guardas todo eso
- You better keep all that to yourself
- A otro perro con ese hueso
- Give that bone to another dog
- Y nos decimos adios
- And we say goodbye
- No puedo pedir que el invierno perdone a un rosal
- I cannot ask the winter to forgive a plan of roses
- No puedo pedir a los olmos que entreguen peras
- I cannot request an elm to produce pears
- No puedo pedirle lo eterno a un simple mortal
- I cannot request the eternal from a mere mortal
- Y andar arrojando a los cerdos miles de perlas
- And walk around throwing thousands of pearls to pigs
Sanz:
- Ay amor me duele tanto, me duele tanto
- Oh my love it hurts so much, it hurts so much
- Que no creas más en mis promesas
- That you don’t believe in my promises anymore
Shakira:
- Ay amor
- Oh love
Sanz:
- Es una tortura
- It is a torture
Shakira:
- Perderte
- Losing you
Sanz:
- Yo sé que no he sido un santo
- I know I have not been a saint
- Pero lo puedo arreglar, amor
- But I can fix it, love
Shakira:
- No sólo de pan vive el hombre
- Oh my love it hurts so much
- Y no de excusas vivo yo
- And I do live of excuses
Sanz:
- Sólo de errores se aprende
- Only from mistakes you learn
- Y hoy sé que es tuyo mi corazón
- and today I know that my heart is yours
Shakira:
- Mejor te guardas todo eso
- You better keep all that to yourself
- A otro perro con ese hueso
- Give that bone to another dog
- Y nos decimos adios
- And we say goodbye
Sanz:
- No te vayas, no te vayas
- Don’t go, don’t go
- Oye negrita mira, no te rajes
- Listen my brunette, don’t give up
- De lunes a viernes tienes mi amor
- From Monday to Friday you have my love
- Déjame el sábado a mi que es mejor
- Leave Saturday to me because it’s better
- Oye mi negra no me castigues más
- Hey my brunette don’t punish me anymore
- Porque allá afuera sin ti no tengo paz
- Because out there without you I have no peace
- Yo solo soy un hombre muy arrepentido
- I am only a man full of regrets
- Soy como el ave que vuelve a su nido
- I am like the bird that comes back to the nest
- Yo se que no he sido un santo
- I know I have not been a saint
- Es que no estoy echo de carton
- It is because I am not made out of cardboard
Shakira:
- No sólo de pan vive el hombre
- A man cannot live on bread alone
- Y no de excusas vivo yo
- And I do live of excuses
Sanz:
- Sólo de errores se aprende
- Only from mistakes you learn
- Y hoy sé que es tuyo mi corazón
- and today I know that my heart is yours
Shakira:
- AAaaay… AAaaay… AAaaay… Ay Ay
- AAaaay… AAaaay… AAaaay… Ay Ay
- Ay todo lo que he hecho por tí
- Oh all I have done for you
- Fue una tortura perderte
- Losing you was a torture
- Me duele tanto que sea así
- It hurts me so much that it is like this
- Sigue llorando perdón
- Keep crying I am sorry
- Yo ya no voy a llorar… por ti
- I am not going to cry … for you
Now it is time to review the same song without a translation in English. This time, play the video and scroll down to read the lyrics if needed. Don’t forget to pause or rewind as much as you require to understand the song.
Video of “La Tortura” with lyrics in Spanish.
Lyrics of “La Tortura” in Spanish and translated to English:
- Ay payita mia, guardate la poesia
- Oh my “payita”, save the poetry for yourself
- Guardate la alegria pa’ti
- Save the joy for yourself
Shakira:
- No pido que todos los días sean de sol
- I don’t ask for sunny days only
- No pido que todos los viernes sean de fiesta
- I don’t ask for all Fridays to be party days
- Tampoco te pido que vuelvas rogando perdón
- Neither do I asked you to come back begging for forgiveness
- Si lloras con los ojos secos
- If you cry with your eyes dry
- Y hablando de ella
- and speaking about her
- Ay amor me duele tanto
- Oh my love it hurts so much
Sanz:
- Me duele tanto
- It hurts me so much
Shakira:
- Que te fueras sin decir a dónde
- That you left without saying where you are going
- Ay amor fue una tortura…
- Oh my love it was a torture…
- Perderte
- Losing you
Sanz:
- Yo sé que no he sido un santo
- I know I have not been a saint
- Pero lo puedo arreglar, amor
- But I can fix it, love
Shakira:
- No sólo de pan vive el hombre
- A man cannot live on bread alone
- Y no de excusas vivo yo
- And I do live of excuses
Sanz:
- Sólo de errores se aprende
- Only from mistakes you learn
- Y hoy sé que es tuyo mi corazón
- and today I know that my heart is yours
Shakira:
- Mejor te guardas todo eso
- You better keep all that to yourself
- A otro perro con ese hueso
- Give that bone to another dog
- Y nos decimos adios
- And we say goodbye
- No puedo pedir que el invierno perdone a un rosal
- I cannot ask the winter to forgive a plan of roses
- No puedo pedir a los olmos que entreguen peras
- I cannot request an elm to produce pears
- No puedo pedirle lo eterno a un simple mortal
- I cannot request the eternal from a mere mortal
- Y andar arrojando a los cerdos miles de perlas
- And walk around throwing thousands of pearls to pigs
Sanz:
- Ay amor me duele tanto, me duele tanto
- Oh my love it hurts so much, it hurts so much
- Que no creas más en mis promesas
- That you don’t believe in my promises anymore
Shakira:
- Ay amor
- Oh love
Sanz:
- Es una tortura
- It is a torture
Shakira:
- Perderte
- Losing you
Sanz:
- Yo sé que no he sido un santo
- I know I have not been a saint
- Pero lo puedo arreglar, amor
- But I can fix it, love
Shakira:
- No sólo de pan vive el hombre
- Oh my love it hurts so much
- Y no de excusas vivo yo
- And I do live of excuses
Sanz:
- Sólo de errores se aprende
- Only from mistakes you learn
- Y hoy sé que es tuyo mi corazón
- and today I know that my heart is yours
Shakira:
- Mejor te guardas todo eso
- You better keep all that to yourself
- A otro perro con ese hueso
- Give that bone to another dog
- Y nos decimos adios
- And we say goodbye
Sanz:
- No te vayas, no te vayas
- Don’t go, don’t go
- Oye negrita mira, no te rajes
- Listen my brunette, don’t give up
- De lunes a viernes tienes mi amor
- From Monday to Friday you have my love
- Déjame el sábado a mi que es mejor
- Leave Saturday to me because it’s better
- Oye mi negra no me castigues más
- Hey my brunette don’t punish me anymore
- Porque allá afuera sin ti no tengo paz
- Because out there without you I have no peace
- Yo solo soy un hombre muy arrepentido
- I am only a man full of regrets
- Soy como el ave que vuelve a su nido
- I am like the bird that comes back to the nest
- Yo se que no he sido un santo
- I know I have not been a saint
- Es que no estoy echo de carton
- It is because I am not made out of cardboard
Shakira:
- No sólo de pan vive el hombre
- A man cannot live on bread alone
- Y no de excusas vivo yo
- And I do live of excuses
Sanz:
- Sólo de errores se aprende
- Only from mistakes you learn
- Y hoy sé que es tuyo mi corazón
- and today I know that my heart is yours
Shakira:
- AAaaay… AAaaay… AAaaay… Ay Ay
- AAaaay… AAaaay… AAaaay… Ay Ay
- Ay todo lo que he hecho por tí
- Oh all I have done for you
- Fue una tortura perderte
- Losing you was a torture
- Me duele tanto que sea así
- It hurts me so much that it is like this
- Sigue llorando perdón
- Keep crying I am sorry
- Yo ya no voy a llorar… por ti
- I am not going to cry … for you
Learn more Spanish with more songs over here: Songs
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i would love learning spanish by songs