Song guide

De nada

Beto Castillo

De nada by Beto Castillo, line by line: what the lyrics mean, 25 expressions explained and 337 words translated with their grammar. Learn Spanish from the song, free.

Lyrics with English translation, line by line

Each line as sung, what it means, and — where it needs one — why it's said that way.

1. Así que me parece que lo que tratas de decir es gracias.

   So it seems to me that what you're trying to say is 'thank you.'

2. ¿Gracias?

   'Thank you?'

3. ¡De nada!

   You're welcome!

   «De nada» is the standard Spanish phrase for 'you're welcome.' The entire song is built around this expression, which Maui uses to boast about his deeds while pretending to be modest.

4. Que... No, no, no. Yo nunca...

   What... No, no, no. I would never...

5. No dije... ¿Por qué crees que...

   I didn't say... Why do you think...

6. Ok, ok

   Okay, okay

7. Ya se que pasa aquí

   I already know what's going on here

8. Encuentras la grandeza frente a tí

   You find greatness right in front of you

9. Y no sabes bien qué sentir

   And you're not quite sure how to feel

10. Es adorable, que jamás los humanitos cambiarán

    It's adorable — those little humans will never change.

    «humanitos» uses the Spanish diminutive suffix -ito, which can express smallness, affection, or mild condescension. Here Maui uses it condescendingly toward humans, as a demigod looking down on mortals.

11. Despierta ya, oye bien, este como ves es Maui, de verdad

    Wake up already, listen up — as you can see, this is the real Maui

    Maui is a major figure in Polynesian mythology, revered across Hawaii, New Zealand (Māori tradition), Samoa, and other Pacific cultures. The film «Moana» (2016) draws on these traditions.

12. Sé que como yo no encuentras dos

    I know you won't find two people just like me

13. Lo que miras es un semi Dios

    What you're looking at is a demigod

    In Polynesian mythology, Maui is a demigod (semi-divine being), not a full god. The Spanish «semi Dios» directly translates this concept.

14. Yo solo sé decir de nada

    All I know how to say is 'you're welcome'

15. Por el mar, el cielo, el sol

    For the sea, the sky, the sun

16. No hay de qué agradecer, de nada

    No need to be grateful — you're welcome

17. Soy sólo un ordinario semi yo

    I'm just an ordinary semi-me

18. Hey, ¿qué fortachón el cielo elevó?

    Hey, what strong guy did the sky lift up?

    «fortachón» is an augmentative form of fuerte (strong), using the suffix -achón, which adds the sense of being impressively or exaggeratedly big and strong. It is colloquial and humorous.

19. Cuando eras de esa altura, este

    When you were this tall, this—

20. Si la noche enfrió, ¿quién fue quién fuego te llevó?

    If the night grew cold, who was it that brought you fire?

    This line references the mythological feat of Maui bringing fire to humanity, similar to the Greek myth of Prometheus. In Polynesian tradition, Maui is credited with obtaining fire from the underworld goddess Mahuika.

21. ¿Qué, alguien me nombró? Oh, yo sólo lazo el sol

    What, did someone mention me? Oh, I'm just lassoing the sun

    Lassoing the sun is one of Maui's most famous mythological deeds. According to Polynesian legend, he lassoed the sun to slow its journey across the sky so people would have more daylight hours to work and fish.

22. De nada, para estirar tu diversión

    You're welcome — just to stretch out your fun

23. Brisa yo hago soplar, de nada, y así tus velas elevar

    I make a breeze blow — you're welcome — and lift your sails

24. Yo sólo sé decir de nada

    All I know how to say is 'you're welcome'

25. Por las islas que traje del mar

    For the islands I pulled up from the sea

    In Polynesian mythology, Maui is credited with fishing up the islands of the Pacific from the ocean floor using a magical fishhook. This is one of his most celebrated legendary feats.

26. No ruegues jamás, nunca más, de nada

    Never beg again — for anything — you're welcome

27. ¡Ha! Genial es mi manera de servir, de nada, de nada

    Ha! That's just my brilliant way of serving — you're welcome, you're welcome

28. De nada dudes ya

    Don't doubt anything anymore

29. Hey, honestamente te explicaré de natural modo cada fenómeno

    Hey, I'll explain every natural phenomenon to you in a straightforward way

30. El mar, el sol, el gas, oh, ese es Maui hablando de más

    The ocean, the sun, the gas — oh, that's Maui talking too much

31. Anguilas que, yo las enterré, de la palmera los cocos creé

    Eels — I buried them, and from them I created coconut palms

    This references a Polynesian creation myth in which coconut palms grew from the buried body of an eel. In some versions, the eel was Tuna, a water spirit, whose head was buried and sprouted into the first coconut tree.

32. Un consejo, una lección te doy

    Here's a piece of advice, a lesson I'll give you

33. No me molestes si en mi descanso estoy

    Don't bother me when I'm resting

34. El tapiz que en mi piel se ve, es el mapa de lo que gané

    The pattern you see on my skin is a map of everything I've earned

    In the film «Moana,» Maui's tattoos are living illustrations of his legendary deeds. One of them, Mini Maui, is an animated tattoo that acts as his conscience and cheerleader.

35. Por donde fui provoqué mil sucesos

    Wherever I went, I set a thousand events in motion

36. Ve al pequeñín mini Maui nomás zapateando

    Just look at little Mini Maui stomping around

    «Mini Maui» refers to the animated tattoo character on Maui's body in the film. «nomás» is a colloquial Latin American Spanish adverb (from no más) meaning 'just' or 'right there,' common in Mexican and Central American Spanish.

37. Ha ha ha, ha ha ha, ¡Hey!

    Ha ha ha, ha ha ha, Hey!

38. Yo sólo puedo decir, de nada (De nada)

    All I can say is you're welcome (you're welcome)

39. Por el mundo especial que doy

    For the special world I give

40. No hay de qué agradecer, de nada (De nada)

    You're welcome, no need to thank me (you're welcome)

41. De nada hablaré, que ya me voy

    I won't say another word — I'm already leaving

42. Te toca a ti decir de nada (De nada)

    Now it's your turn to say 'you're welcome' (you're welcome)

43. Pues quiero esa barca ya

    Because I want that boat right now

44. Muy lejos navegaré, de nada (de nada)

    I'll sail far away — you're welcome (you're welcome)

45. Pues Maui nada sabe de nadar

    Because Maui doesn't know how to swim at all

    This line contains a deliberate pun: «nada» can mean both 'nothing' (pronoun) and 'swims' (3rd pers. sing. of nadar). The line «Maui nada sabe de nadar» can be read as 'Maui knows nothing about swimming' — a comic twist since he is a sea demigod.

46. (De nada) De nada (De nada) de nada

    (You're welcome) You're welcome (you're welcome) you're welcome

47. Y gracias

    And thank you

Expressions and idioms in “De nada”

The lines that don't mean what the dictionary says.

tratas de decir you are trying to say

tratar de + infinitive is a common periphrastic construction meaning 'to try to do something.' The preposition de is required between tratar and the infinitive.

me parece it seems to me

parecer used with an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le…) means 'to seem to someone.' The subject is the thing being judged, not the person — so it works like 'it seems to me,' not 'I seem.'

De nada You're welcome

De nada is the standard Spanish response to 'thank you.' Literally 'of nothing,' it parallels the French 'de rien.' The song plays on this phrase throughout, using it both as the polite response and as a pun on the word nada meaning 'nothing.'

Ya sé I already know

ya combined with a present-tense verb adds the nuance of 'already' or 'by now.' Ya sé means 'I already know' — ya intensifies the sense that the knowledge is established.

frente a tí right in front of you

frente a is a fixed prepositional phrase meaning 'in front of / facing.' It requires the preposition a before the object, so frente a mí, frente a ti, frente a él, etc.

no sabes bien qué sentir you're not quite sure how to feel

saber + infinitive means 'to know how to do something.' Here no sabes qué sentir literally means 'you don't know what to feel,' functioning as 'you're not sure how to feel.' The adverb bien softens it to 'not quite sure.'

jamás cambiarán will never change

jamás is a strong negative adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever.' When used with a future tense verb it emphasises that something will absolutely never happen. It is stronger and more emphatic than nunca.

de verdad for real / truly / really

de verdad is a fixed adverbial phrase meaning 'truly,' 'really,' or 'for real.' It is placed after the statement it emphasises, much like 'seriously' or 'I mean it' in English.

como yo no encuentras dos you won't find two like me

This is a poetic inversion for emphasis. The standard order would be 'no encuentras dos como yo.' Placing como yo at the front stresses the comparison. The number dos (two) implies 'another one like me,' a common hyperbolic idiom.

No hay de qué agradecer There's nothing to be grateful for / You're welcome

No hay de qué is a fixed expression equivalent to 'you're welcome' or 'don't mention it.' Literally 'there is nothing for which [to thank].' The full form here adds agradecer (to be grateful) making the structure explicit.

fuego te llevó brought you fire

llevar + indirect object pronoun (te) means 'to bring/carry something to someone.' Here fuego te llevó means 'brought fire to you.' Note the object-before-verb word order, common in song lyrics for rhythm.

lazo el sol I lasso the sun

lazar (also lassear) means 'to lasso / to rope.' This is a direct reference to the Polynesian demigod Maui's mythological feat of lassoing the sun to slow it down and give people more daylight.

hago soplar I make blow / I cause to blow

hacer + infinitive is a causative construction meaning 'to make something happen' or 'to cause someone/something to do something.' Hago soplar la brisa = 'I make the breeze blow.' This pattern is very common in Spanish.

No ruegues jamás nunca más Never beg again, ever

Spanish allows — and even emphasises — double or triple negatives. No + jamás + nunca + más all reinforce each other, making the negation more emphatic, not contradictory. This is standard Spanish grammar, unlike in English where double negatives cancel out.

De nada dudes ya Don't doubt anything anymore

This is a negative imperative using the subjunctive: no + present subjunctive (dudes). De nada here means 'about nothing / anything,' not 'you're welcome' — a deliberate wordplay. Ya adds the sense of 'anymore' or 'from now on.'

hablando de más talking too much

hablar de más is a fixed expression meaning 'to talk too much' or 'to say more than one should.' De más functions as an adverbial phrase meaning 'in excess / too much.'

en mi descanso estoy I am on my break / I am resting

estar en + noun describes a state or situation. Estar en mi descanso means 'to be on my break / to be resting.' The verb estoy (estar) is used here, not soy (ser), because it describes a temporary state.

No me molestes Don't bother me

This is a negative imperative: no + present subjunctive (molestes). The indirect object pronoun me ('me') is placed before the verb. molestar means 'to bother / to disturb / to annoy.'

se ve is seen / can be seen

se + third-person verb forms the passive-reflexive construction in Spanish. Se ve means 'is seen' or 'one can see.' This is one of the most common ways to express the passive voice in everyday Spanish.

lo que gané what I earned / that which I earned

lo que is a neuter relative pronoun meaning 'what' or 'that which.' It introduces a noun clause and is used when there is no specific noun antecedent. Lo que gané = 'what I earned / everything I earned.'

por donde fui wherever I went

por donde is a relative adverbial phrase meaning 'wherever' or 'through wherever.' Por indicates movement through a place, and donde is the relative adverb for location. Together they mean 'everywhere I went / wherever I went.'

sólo puedo decir all I can say / I can only say

poder + infinitive is a modal periphrastic construction meaning 'to be able to do something / can do something.' Puedo decir = 'I can say.' The adverb sólo restricts it to 'I can only say.'

me voy I'm leaving / I'm going

irse (ir + reflexive pronoun) means 'to leave / to go away,' which is distinct from plain ir ('to go somewhere'). Me voy signals departure — 'I'm out of here' — while voy alone just means 'I'm going (somewhere).'

Te toca a ti It's your turn

tocarle a alguien is a fixed expression meaning 'to be someone's turn' or 'to fall to someone to do something.' Te toca (a ti) = 'it's your turn.' The a ti is added for emphasis or clarity.

nada sabe de nadar knows nothing about swimming / doesn't know how to swim at all

saber de + infinitive/noun means 'to know about something.' Here nada sabe de nadar = 'knows nothing about swimming.' Note the wordplay: nada is both the verb 'swims' (3rd pers. sing. of nadar) and the pronoun 'nothing,' creating a deliberate double meaning in the song.

Vocabulary to learn from “De nada”

The words the song uses most.

• ser is verb ·10
• decir to say verb ·6
• saber I know verb ·6
• las gracias thank you / thanks noun ·3
• ver you see verb ·3
• el mar sea / ocean noun ·3
• el sol sun noun ·3
• encontrar you find verb ·2
• el cielo sky / heaven noun ·2
• haber there is / there are verb ·2
• agradecer to thank / to be grateful verb ·2
• elevar lifted / raised verb ·2

Verbs in the song, and the form being sung

Present tense for each; the highlighted row is the one you'll hear.

Grammar you'll meet in this song

• Present35
• Preterite12
• Future4
• Imperative3
• Present subjunctive3
• Imperfect1

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