Arre Borriquito performed by Kalimba and Nicole Favre ft. Esteman

Published by Lyrical Language on December 21, 2021December 21, 2021

“Arre Borriquito” is a popular traditional Christmas carol, or villancico. This version is performed by Mexican singer Kalimba, Colombian singer Esteman and Peruvian singer Nicole Favre. It appears on the 2020 Christmas compilation Eterna Navidad Celebremos.

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Activities

Cultural References, Idioms and Explanations

‘borriquito’ – This is the diminutive form of the masculine noun ‘borrico’ meaning ‘donkey’. The diminutive form is achieved by adding ‘-ito’ to the end of masculine nouns, or ‘-ita’ to the end of feminine nouns. While it can mean that the noun is less than or smaller than the normal noun (so here it could be interpreted as ‘little donkey’), often it is simply a stylistic change, with no change in meaning. Here I think it adds a level of playfulness to the lyrics. To try and keep the same playfulness in the translation I have translated it as ‘little donkey’, even though the donkey is not necessarily small.

‘gente’ – This term means ‘people’ in Spanish. However, despite the fact that it refers to more than one person, this is a singular noun and conjugates in the third person singular, like ‘él’ or ‘ella’.

‘Reyes Magos’ – Literally translating as ‘wise kings’, this is the name given to what are referred to in English as the Three Wise Men, the Three Kings, or the Magi.

‘de prisa’ – Litrally translating as ‘of hurry’, this phrase means ‘in a hurry’.

‘Anda más de prisa que llegamos tarde’ – I usually try to keep my translations rather literal to assist with learning vocabulary, however the literal translation of this would be something like ‘go more in a hurry because we are arriving late’, which is very awkward. For this reason I simplified my translation to ‘hurry because we’re late’, though I still think it is helpful to understand the meanings of the various parts of this phrase.

‘el otro’ – The adjective ‘otro’ means ‘other’ or ‘another’, however, when used as a noun it means ‘the other one’.

‘hay’ – This is the impersonal third person singular form of the verb ‘haber’ meaning ‘to have’. It means ‘there is’ or ‘there are’. It would translate literally as ‘it has’.

‘irse’ – The verb ‘ir’ means ‘to go’, however the pronominal ‘irse’ means ‘to leave’.

‘portal’ – In everyday speech this term means ‘vestibule’, ‘hallway’ or ‘entrance hall’. It can also be an information portal in the world of technology. However, in the context of Christmas, and especially when referred to as ‘el portal de Belén’, this term can either refer to a nativity scene or the stable at Bethlehem where Christ was born according to the stories.

‘dirigirse a’ – Literally translating as ‘to direct oneself to’, this phrase means ‘to go to’, ‘to walk to’ or ‘to head for’.

‘pastorcito’ – This is the diminutive form of the masculine noun ‘pastor’. As with ‘borriquito’, I have translated this as ‘little shepherd’ to keep a feeling of playfulness, though it is doubtful the shepherd is actually small.

‘Niño Dios’ – Literally translating as ‘child God’, this is the Spanish name given to the baby Jesus.

Activities

We’ve created flashcards, games, and exercises to practice vocabulary and grammatical concepts found in this song. Check out our Activities Page to take your learning further!

Song Lyrics with Grammatical Breakdown

Mouse over a term for grammatical information. A chart of the terms and grammatical information can be found here.

Arre Borriquito

[Verse 1]

[Chorus]

[Verse 2]

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]

[Chorus] X 3

Lyrics with Translation

Songs in any language often leave room for multiple interpretations. Following is my interpretation of the song lyrics.

Arre Borriquito
Giddy Up Little Donkey

[Verse 1]
Tengo puesto un nacimiento
I have a nativity set up
En un rincón de mi casa
In a corner of my house
Con pastores y pastoras
With shepherds and shepherdesses
Y un palacio en la montaña
And a palace on the mountain
Ahí vive el rey Herodes
King Herod lives there
Ahí viven sus soldados
His soldiers live there
Todos están esperando
Everyone is waiting
Que lleguen los Reyes Magos
For the Three Wise Men to arrive

[Chorus]
Arre, borriquito, arre, burro, arre
Giddy up little donkey, giddy up donkey, giddy up
Anda más de prisa que llegamos tarde
Hurry, because we’re late
Arre, borriquito, vamos a Belén
Giddy up little donkey, we’re going to Bethlehem
Que mañana es fiesta y al otro también
Because tomorrow is a party and the next day as well

[Verse 2]
En el cielo hay una estrella
In the sky there is a star
Que a los Reyes Magos guía
That guides the Three Wise Men
Hacia Belén para ver
To Bethlehem to see
A Dios, hijo de María
God, son of Mary
Cuando pasan los monarcas
When the monarchs pass
Sale la gente al camino
The people come out to the road
Y alegres se van con ellos
And happily leave with them
Para ver al tierno niño
To see the loving child

[Verse 3]
Hacia el portal del Belén
Towards the stable at Bethlehem
Se dirige un pastorcito
A little shepherd is heading
Cantando de esta manera
Singing this way
Para alegrar el camino
To brighten the journey
Ha nacido el Niño Dios
The baby Jesus is born
En un portal miserable
In a miserable stable
Para enseñar a los hombres
To teach mankind
La humildad de su linaje
The humility of his lineage

[Chorus] X 3
Arre, borriquito, arre, burro, arre
Giddy up little donkey, giddy up donkey, giddy up
Anda más de prisa que llegamos tarde
Hurry, because we’re late
Arre, borriquito, vamos a Belén
Giddy up little donkey, we’re going to Bethlehem
Que mañana es fiesta y al otro también
Because tomorrow is a party and the next day as well

Grammatical Concepts Used in this Song

Contractions:
- Que mañana es fiesta y al otro también
- Sale la gente al camino
- Para ver al tierno niño
- Hacia el portal del Belén

Possessive Adjectives:
- En un rincón de mi casa
- Ahí viven sus soldados
- La humildad de su linaje

Reflexive Pronouns:
- Y alegres se van con ellos
- Se dirige un pastorcito

Irregular Verbs:
- tener:
  - Tengo puesto un nacimiento
- estar:
  - Todos están esperando
- ir/irse:
  - Arre, borriquito, vamos a Belén
  - Y alegres se van con ellos
- ser:
  - Que mañana es fiesta y al otro también
- haber:
  - En el cielo hay una estrella
  - Ha nacido el Niño Dios
- salir:
  - Sale la gente al camino
Spelling change Verbs:
- dirigirse
  - Se dirige un pastorcito

Gerund:
- Cantando de esta manera
Present Progressive:
- Todos están esperando