Sorry! Search is currently unavailable while the database is being updated, it will be back in 5 mins!

Perdón: Forgiveness

So, how does La Secta's refrain go? (¿Cómo dice el estribillo de La Secta?) Here it is:

 

Llora mi corazón

My heart cries

Rogando tu perdón

Begging for your forgiveness

Captions 7-8, La Secta - Llora mi corazón

 Play Caption

 

In this lyric's translation, we noted that perdón means -- and sounds like -- "pardon" in English. But it also means "forgiveness." Because "begging your pardon" sounds too stilted and too close to the question "Beg your pardon?," we chose "forgiveness" here.

 

Aquí estoy, ya me ves, suplicándote perdón.

Here I am, as you can see, imploring your forgiveness.

Caption 67, Biografía - Enrique Iglesias

 Play Caption

 

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

(Incidently, "Beg your pardon?" -- as in, "What did you just say?" -- is usually ¿Cómo? in Spanish.)

Coming soon on Yabla Spanish, we'll provide consejos para la calle ("advice for the street") to teach you when to use perdón (pardon), permiso and disculpe (excuse me). Tune in then to learn the best way to clear a path and beg forgiveness when you knock someone down.

 

Vocabulary

Signup to get Free Spanish Lessons sent by email



¿Cómo Dice?: How Does It Go?

In our latest live concert footage of Belanova, lead singer Denisse Guererro turns to the audience and asks:

 

Este mundo gira y algún día ha de morir

This world spins and someday it shall die

pero contigo -¿Cómo dice, Guadalajara?

but with you -How does it go, Guadalajara?

Captions 28-29, Belanova - Tus ojos

 Play Caption

 

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

The crowd responds by singing along to the well known song. North of the border, concertgoers might hear the words "How does it go?" to provoke a similar sing-along.

But wait. Most of you know the verb decir most often means "to say" or "to tell." It's ir that typically means "to go." A literal-minded translation of
¿Cómo dice? might be something more like "What does [it / the song / the tune] say?"

When we asked around, we gathered some more examples of English phrases in which "go"
is best expressed in Spanish with decir. Here they are:

As the song goes
Como dice la canción


As the saying goes
Como dice el refrán

So the story goes
Se dice

So the argument goes (reputedly)
Según se dice


Hearing "decir" used in this context, it becomes much easier to understand another new music video. In "Llora mi corazón," La Secta Allstar leads into their own refrain with:

 

Y dice...

And it [i.e., the song's refain] goes [like this:]...

Caption 6, La Secta - Llora mi corazón

 Play Caption

 

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

So, how does La Secta's refrain go?

Expressions

Signup to get Free Spanish Lessons sent by email