Juan Luis Londono Arias, Alejandro Ramirez, Jose Alvaro Osorio Balvin
Did you like this lyrics translation?
me suena — it rings a bell / looks familiar
Me suena is a fantastic Spanish idiom that literally translates to "it sounds to me". However, its real meaning is "it rings a bell" or "it seems familiar".
In the song, Maluma finds himself in an awkward spot, telling a girl, "Tu nombre no, pero tu cara me suena"—"I don't remember your name, but your face looks familiar." It's the perfect phrase for that feeling of knowing you've seen someone or heard something before, but you can't quite remember the details. This is a must-know expression for sounding like a native speaker!
Have you ever been at a party and someone comes up to you, but you totally blank on who they are? That's the entire mood of "Qué Pena"! Maluma and J Balvin find themselves in this exact spot when a woman they've met before approaches them. They're honest, but in a super smooth way, telling her, "Qué pena / Tu nombre no pero tu cara me suena" (What a shame / Your name, no, but your face looks familiar).
Instead of being embarrassed, they turn it into a flirty challenge. They suggest she get closer to jog their memory: "Acércate acércate un poco más / Que así de lejos no logramos nada" (Come closer, come a little closer / From this far away we won't get anywhere). They admit they might have had a little too much to drink the last time they met, but they make it clear they're interested now. It's a playful, confident track about forgetting a name but definitely not forgetting a pretty face.
Did you know?
In addition to reading lyric translations, you can now learn Spanish with music and lyrics from your favorite artists.
Yes, including Qué Pena by Maluma!
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