Silent Night - Noche de Paz

 

Silent Night

(German: Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011.^[1] The song has been recorded by a large number of singers from every music genre. The version sung by Bing Crosby is the third best-selling single of all-time. (Source: Wikipedia)

This song, unlike the majority of songs on this blog, is included in honor of the Christmas holidays and not for any especially important vocabulary or grammar.  However, there are a few interesting words and expressions that can be useful for students of English as a second language.   Of course there is a Spanish version of this song but the translation of the lyrics below is a literal translation of the English lyrics so that students see exactly what is being said in the English version of the song.  

Merry Christmas to all.

Silent Night
Noche silenciosa

Silent night, holy night!
Noche silenciosa Santa noche!
All is calm, all is bright.
¡Todo está en calma , todo es brillante .
Round yon* Virgin, Mother and Child.
Alrededor de la Virgen por allí, la Madre y el Niño.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Bebé Santo tan tierno y suave,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Duerme en paz celestial ,
Sleep in heavenly peace
Duerme en paz celestial ,

Silent night, holy night!
¡Noche silenciosa Santa noche!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Los pastores temblan al ver el panorama
Glories stream from heaven afar
Las glorias salen desde el cielo lejano
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Angeles celestiales cantan Aleluya,
Christ the Savior is born!
Cristo el Salvador ha nacido!
Christ the Savior is born
Cristo el Salvador ha nacido!

Silent night, holy night
Noche silenciosa Santa noche
Son of God, love's pure light
Hijo de Dios , la luz pura del amor
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
Rayos brillantes de Tu rostro santo
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Con el amanecer de la gracia redentora
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesús, Señor , en tu nacimiento
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "
Jesús, Señor , en tu nacimiento


*This means that everything around Mary (the virgin mother) and Jesus (the child) is calm and bright. 'Yon' is a form of 'yonder', which means 'over there'.
'Everything is calm and bright around that virgin mother over there and her child.' 

I Want You To Want Me...

"I want you to..."  NOT  "I want that you..."

One of the most difficult points of English grammar for Spanish speakers is trying to translate ideas that are formed with the subjunctive in Spanish. For example, "Quiero que vengas conmigo." is often translated as "I want that you come with me."    The correct translation is "I want you to come with me."    The structure is very simple and works with many verbs including tell, ask, need, force, order, beg (rogar), etc.   It even works in the past exactly the same as in the present.   You simply have to conjugate the first verb.  That means that "Él quiere que lo hagas." is "He wants  you to do it" and " Él querría que lo hicieras." is "He wanted you to do it."  Simple, right?    Yes, it is simple.   The problem is remembering to use this form and resisting the urge (resistir la tentación) to say "I want that..."   So what is the solution?   Practice, practice, practice.   You can also listen to this song and sing along (cantar junto) to practice.    One more important thing you should know about this form is the two common exceptions to the rule, "make" and "let".    When using these two words you DO NOT USE THE "TO".    For examples, "Mis padres me obligan a estudiar." in English would be "My parents make me study." and "Nuestra maestra no nos deja hablar en la clase." is "Our teacher does not let us talk in class."

Another thing to notice (fijarse) in the sentence "I want you to want me." is  the second "want".  "Te quiero." can be "I love you." or "I want you." in English, but there is an important difference. "I want you." has strong sexual connotations and is closer to "Te deseo." in Spanish.

Vocabulary: The word "brand" means "marca" in Spanish and the phrase  "brand new" means " nuevo, sin estrenar".  The name of the group who wrote and first made this song popular is "Cheap Trick" which means "una mala pasada" in Spanish.  




I Want You To Want Me  by Cheap Trick
 

I want you to want me

 Quiero que me desees

I want you to want me  
Quiero que me desees

I need you to need me 
Necesito que me necesites

I'd love you to love me 
Me encantaría que me amaras

I'm beggin' you to beg me

Te suplico  que me suplicaras

I want you to want me

 Quiero que me desees

I want you to want me 
Quiero que me desees

I need you to need me 
Necesito que me necesites

I'd love you to love me
 Me encantaría que me amaras

I'll shine up the old brown shoes,

Puliré los antiguos zapatos marrones
Put on a brand-new shirt

Ponerme una nueva camisa 
 I'll get home early from work
 Llegaré pronto del trabajo

If you say that you love me

Si me dices que me quieres

Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

No? No? No te he visto llorando?
Ohh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

Ahhh, no? No? No te he visto llorando? 

Feelin' all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin'

Sintiendome muy solo, sin amigos, sabes que sientes como si quisieras morir 
Ohh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

Ahhh, no? No? No te he visto llorando?

I want you to want me

 Quiero que me desees

I want you to want me 
Quiero que me desees

I need you to need me 
Necesito que me necesites

I'd love you to love me  
Me encantaría que me amaras

I'm beggin' you to beg me

Te suplico  que me suplicaras

I'll shine up the old brown shoes,

Puliré los antiguos zapatos antiguos
Put on a brand-new shirt

Ponerme una nueva camisa 
I'll get home early from work  
Llegaré pronto del trabajo

If you say that you love me

Si me dices que me quieres

Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

No? No? No te he visto llorando?
Ohh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

Ahhh, no? No? No te he visto llorando? 

Feelin' all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin'

Sintiendome muy solo, sin amigos, sabes que sientes como si quisieras morir 
Ohh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

Ahhh, no? No? No te he visto llorando?

Ohh
Ahh 

Feelin' all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin'

Sintiendome muy solo, sin amigos, sabes que sientes como si quisieras morir 
Ohh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

Ahhh, no? No? No te he visto llorando?

Ohh

Ahh

I want you to want me

 Quiero que me desees

I want you to want me 
Quiero que me desees

I need you to need me 
Necesito que me necesites

I'd love you to love me  
Me encantaría que me amaras

I'm beggin' you to beg me

Te suplico  que me suplicaras

I want you to want me 
Quiero que me desees 
I want you to want me
Quiero que me desees
I want you to want me
Quiero que me desees  

Note:  Here  is a more recent version of the song by the band  Letters From Cleo from the movie 10 Things I Hate About You.