Pendiente literally means "pending" or "outstanding." It's a versatile word that can refer to something yet to be done, or even an earring!
In this song, it's used repeatedly to describe a "café pendiente" (a pending coffee) and later, "amor pendiente" (pending love). It beautifully captures the anticipation and longing for a shared moment that is yet to happen, making it a central theme of the lyrics.
Get ready to swoon! José Felipe Mejía's "Café Pendiente (En Vivo)" starts with a beautiful, romantic image: a patiently waiting cup of coffee, "calentado lentamente, endulzado con mil besos" [warmed slowly, sweetened with a thousand kisses]. It's a coffee just for you, waiting for your lips, and he's been holding onto it through "mañanas frías grises y las noches infelices" [cold gray mornings and unhappy nights]. He asks, "Dime si te lo sirvo para hoy" [Tell me if I serve it to you today?], describing it as smelling "a Rosa con sabor a miel" [of rose with a honey flavor] and accompanied by "insomnios atrasados" [delayed insomnias].
But here's the twist! Just when you think it's all about coffee, he confesses, "Tengo que confesarte lo que te tengo pendiente No es café" [I have to confess what I have pending for you, it's not coffee]. He reveals that "un café donde nos miedo y es amor en lo que preparó" [a coffee where we are not afraid and it is love that I prepared]. The song transforms from a pending coffee to a pending love. He asks again, "Está pendiente del amor? Dime si te lo sirvo para vos hoy" [Is love pending? Tell me if I serve it to you today?], inviting you to accept this love he's been preparing, just for you.