Maná Lyrics Help

Question

Could someone please help me to understand the lyrics from this awesome Maná song?

Cómo quisiera poder vivir sin aire Cómo quisiera vivir sin agua Me encantaría Querete un poco menos Cómo quisiera poder vivir sin ti

Answer 1

I found this web page with a complete translation. Seems to be fine for what I can see.

Lyrics

Answer 2

A native speaker can give you a much better interpretation, but here's the general idea:

As I would like to live without air; As I would like to live without water; I would love to love you a little less; As I would like to live without you.

Answer 3

How I would love to be able to survive without air

How I would love to be able to survive without water

How I would really like to not love you as much as I do

How I would love to be able to survive without you.

This is not a literal translation but an interpretation of what is intended.

• So, "quisiera" is what tense and what does it actually mean? - ToLife 26 de Ago, 2009
• quisiera, past subjunctive of querer, I would like. - Eddy 26 de Ago, 2009
• I modified my interpretation to highlight querer. - Eddy 26 de Ago, 2009

Answer 4

So, "quisiera" is what tense and what does it actually mean?

Answer 5

Look at this link

Querer

Answer 6

Hi Guillermo I modified my interpretation as the poster appeared to be fixated on "Quisiera"

Answer 7

Thanks, everyone. Can someone then help me to understand why the subjunctive preterite is being used. Is it because an emotion or desire is being spoken of? I am working very hard to understand the subjunctive and have read a lot about the word "que" being an important word to look for. But, here the word "cómo" is used. Can someone explain how that is triggering the use of the subjunctive preterite?

Answer 8

Eddy,

I have to wonder: if we use "quisiera as the past subjunctive of "querer," why aren't we translating the text to the past tense in English, i.e., "I would have."

Answer 9

Marianne, I don't understand your question. We are answering this in the conditional in English:

Quisiera ir al cine: I would like to go ....

• Yes, the conditional is how I would use "quisiera" in this case. - --Mariana-- 26 de Ago, 2009

Answer 10

Right, and that's how I interpreted "quisiera" in the song lyrics, as "I would like"

However, Eddy says "quisiera" is the preterit subjunctive here. In that case, wouldn't that mean that we have to translate it to mean something in the past?

Answer 11

wouldn't that mean that we have to translate it to mean something in the past?

I wouldn't get locked in with the names of the tenses in Spanish.

Spanish uses the present tense to sometimes express the future (I am going tomorrow) or even the past.

So why not accept the past subjunctive tense to express the conditional tense?

You might wish to confirm the translation of quisiera as "I would like" in this article.

quisiera vs querría

• Thanks, Q. Yep, I got really confused by calling it "preterit" when we are using the "conditional!" - --Mariana-- 26 de Ago, 2009

Answer 12

Look here:

There are several examples of the use of this tense in different situations. For what I understand, the use in this song is similar to the use with "ojalá". You wish for something that is not possible.

• very nice article. Thanks for posting it. - qfreed 26 de Ago, 2009

Answer 13

It is a poetical usage, like rhetorical language. More than likely you would never talk in an everyday conversation this way.

Answer 14

Como quisiera is meaning [as if you could do something] so he is saying that he wants and like do something well thát's what i think

Answer 15

It's me one more time lol i should write [ Como Quisiera means to like do something but can not do it ]such the lyric says, I'll give you my example--------> [Como Quisiera ver a mi amigo pero no puedo por que esta en los Estados Unidos] which means [I would like to see my friend but i can't becuase is in USA so como qusiera is a phrase that you can use to express what would you like to do but YOU can NOT do it thankssss -)