Why is 'que' used here instead of 'lo que'?

Question

It's a line from Daddy Yankee's "Tu Príncipe":

• Si tú supieras que me pasa cada ves que te veo

My translation is:

• If you were to know what happens to me every time that I see you

UPDATE:

The correct translation is more like:

• If you knew what happens to me every time that I see you

What MrSoprano said means that the word is "vez" not "ves". I think you knew that but typed it wrong. In American Spanish the "z" and "s" are pronounced the same. - Jubilado, Sep 16, 2013

Oh yeah, thanks. I meant 'vez' but I have a habit of spelling it wrong. - SlimNm, Sep 16, 2013

And also, because the C, S, and Z are all pronounced the same here in the Americas,, so, given both of those, it ends up as a relatively common and subtle error. Still, a great answer on your part. Thanks! - rogspax, Sep 16, 2013

Answer 1

Many songs are not the best source for a proper Spanish and reggaeton is one of the worst sources for.

Your phrase is correct with "lo que" and with exclamation signs

• ¡Si tú supieras lo que me pasa cada vez que te veo!

Only it would be corret with "que" if you have a second sentence, at least when I hear your phrase I am waiting for the second one, for example:

• Si tú supieras que me pasa cada vez que te veo seguramente no me dirías eso.
• If you knew what happens to me every time that I see you, surely you wouldn't say that to me.

Yes, of all the music one could learn Spanish from, Reggaeton, even though I enjoy the beat, is about the worst. Most of the lyrics are retarded. - rogspax, Sep 16, 2013

That's it! - chileno, Sep 16, 2013

Reggaeton is the only type of Spanish music I like, and even though the lyrics are retarded well, so are the lyrics to most of my favorite English rap songs haha. - SlimNm, Sep 17, 2013

Answer 2

First of all, the word "ves" doesn't exist in the dictionary I always consult: ves. It is a conjugation of the verb "ver". See?. I wanted to mention it because I've seen it written like this many times now and it shocks me every time.

That being said, I think that your confusion is caused by the lack of an accent (tilde) in the word qué. Shouldn't it be...?

• Si tú supieras qué me pasa cada vez que te veo.. - If you knew what happens to me every time I see you...

In this case, we are treating with an interrogative particle (que) that does not imply a direct question but symbolize the existence of something unknown or some sort of uncertainty referred to a person, a place, a thing, etc.. As in:

• Preguntó qué tenía que hacer para ir al centro. - He asked what he had to do to go downtown.
  
• Aún no ha decidido con quién asociarse. - He haven't decided yet who is teaming up with.
  
• No sabía dónde estaba. - He didn't know where he was.
  

Source: Ortografía básica de la lengua española.

EDIT: I bought my Ortografía on-line a few months ago. I've just found it on Amazon.com (here) less expensive than I purchased mine. Moreover, this document is the closest manual that I've been able to find on the Internet.

¡Hola, amigo! ¿Tienes la página web por Ortografía básica de la lengua española? - Jubilado, Sep 16, 2013

Acabo de añadir esa información al mensaje. Un saludo Jubilado. - 00483d91, Sep 16, 2013

Yo no veo la frase con pronombre interrogativo, me sigue sonando rara. Más bien veo que al ser una canción se ha comido el "lo" para que le encaje mejor la frase. - caiser, Sep 16, 2013

Hola MrSoprano. Yes, I see vez mispelled as vec often too (and have probably done it myself) I suspect the plural spelling, veces with a C, slips into our non-Spanish minds sometimes, making us more likely to make that mistake in the singular. - rogspax, Sep 16, 2013