Is one of the only Spanish Christmas songs that you know “Feliz Navidad?” Well, ’tis the season to brush up on your Spanish! If you don’t want to fall behind on your language skills while you spend time with family and friends, here’s the perfect list of songs to learn while still spreading holiday cheer.
Mi Burrito Sabanero
This first song, “My Little Donkey from the Savannah,” talks about making a journey to Bethlehem on donkey-back. It’s very popular in Latin America, and there’s hit version by Colombian singer Juanes. This song has very simple present tense grammar and is great for beginners!
Con mi burrito sabanero voy camino de Belén
Con mi burrito sabanero voy camino de Belén
si me ven, si me ven, voy camino de Belén
si me ven, si me ven, voy camino de Belén
el lucerito mañanero ilumina mi sendero
el lucerito mañanero ilumina mi sendero
si me ven, si me ven, voy camino de Belén
si me ven, si me ven, voy camino de Belén
If you enjoy learning Spanish from song lyrics, try importing lyrics on LingQ! You can add any lyrics you like and translate all of the words and phrases as you go. I imported the lyrics to this video so you can see how it looks:
All words are blue when you start, then you make words yellow by finding the translation. Yellow words are the words you are learning. Here you can see the word “con” has been translated. That word is now saved in my database so it will appear yellow in all future lessons and I can study it with vocabulary activities.
Try importing one of the following Spanish Christmas songs!
Campana Sobre Campana
“Campana Sobre Campana” is a traditional Christmas song from Spain about the birth of Jesus, and like other well-known Christmas songs, it talks a lot about bells. The song includes examples of both future tense and commands.
Campana sobre campana,
y sobre campana una,
asómate a la ventana,
verás el Niño en la cuna.
Belén, campanas de Belén,
que los Ángeles tocan
qué nueva me traéis?
Recogido tu rebaño
a dónde vas pastorcillo?
Voy a llevar al portal
requesón, manteca y vino.
El Niño del Tambor
We all remember “The Little Drummer Boy.” If you were a fan of this holiday jingle, you’ll be pleased to know that the Spanish-language version is also a very popular carol. The song is about a poor boy who plays his drum for the baby Jesus. The grammar of the song is pretty simple, but the song is good for vocabulary. This version sung by Spanish artist Rafael is probably the most popular.
El camino que lleva a Belén
baja hasta el valle que la nieve cubrió.
Los pastorcillos quieren ver a su Rey,
le traen regalos en su humilde zurrón
a nacido en un portal de Belén
el niño Dios.
Yo quisiera poner a tus pies
algún presente que te agrade Señor,
mas tú ya sabes que soy pobre también,
y no poseo más que un viejo tambor.
¡En tu honor frente al portal tocaré
con mi tambor!
Noche de Paz
You probably know this song as “Silent Night,” although it was actually first written in German. The song has been translated into many languages, including this Spanish rendition. If you want some extra help with the past participle, this song could do the trick. Mexican musical icon Luis Miguel has a great version. And if you liked this song, Luis Miguel has a whole album of holiday carols, titled Navidades, which includes his takes on songs like “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and “Let it Snow.”
Noche de paz
Noche de amor
Todo duerme alrededor
Todo el mundo celebra con fe
A ese niño nacido en Belén
Con canciones del corazón
Hoy ha nacido el amor
Noche de paz
Noche de amor
Todo duerme alrededor
Ni los ángeles quieren cantar
Para no despertar al Señor
Todo es paz en la obscuridad
Hoy ha nacido el amor
Los Peces en el Río
This song, “The Fish in the River”, is a classic in Spanish-speaking countries. It talks about the Virgin Mary doing various tasks while the fish in the river celebrate the birth of Jesus. The song includes the present progressive tense and commands. The Gipsy Kings have a beautiful version that you need to hear.
La Virgen se está peinando
entre cortina y cortina
los cabellos son de oro
y el peine de plata fina.
Pero mira cómo beben los peces en el río
Pero mira cómo beben por ver al Dios nacido
Beben y beben y vuelven a beber
Los peces en el río por ver a Dios nacer.
Los Pastores a Belén
“Los Pastores a Belén” is another holiday favorite and talks about the shepherds on their way to Bethlehem. The song uses present, future and past tenses.
Los pastores a Belén
corren presurosos
llevan de tanto correr
los zapatos rotos
Ay ay ay
que alegres van
ay ay ay
si volverán
Con la pan pan pan
con la pan
con la pandereta
y las castañuelas
Un pastor se tropezó
a media vereda
y un borreguito grito:
¡este aquí se queda!
La Marimorena
“La Marimorena” is a popular Christmas carol with disputed origins. No one is really sure what or who the Marimorena is. Some say it refers to the Virgin Mary, others say it was a person named María Morena, while others insist it refers to merriment. Whatever the meaning, this song remains a holiday go-to. This is a good song for beginners with simple grammar.
Ande, ande, ande,
la marimorena
ande, ande, ande
que es la Nochebuena.
Ande, ande, ande,
la marimorena
ande, ande, ande
que es la Nochebuena.
En el portal de Belén
hay estrellas, sol y luna
la virgen y san José
y el niño que está en la cuna.
Todos le llevan al niño
yo no tengo que entregarle,
le llevo mi corazón
que en el mundo es lo que vale.
