As we kick off this new ‘season’ of our Saturday evening practice sessions, we’ll be focusing exclusively on the works of Chamorro singer-songwriter Daniel DeLeon Guerrero. His songs are invaluable for learners, rich in language and themes that span a wide range of topics. Known for his prolific output, Daniel’s music offers endless opportunities to deepen our understanding of the Chamorro language. Last Saturday, we transcribed the song Fahåhi Hit Flores by Daniel De Leon Guerrero, which is his Chamorro translation of an English original titled “Buy Me a Rose.” Below, you’ll find the Chamorro lyrics alongside an English translation. Happy listening!

Note About Pronoun Translations: In this song, we assigned gender to the pronouns, for the sake of clarity in the English translation. But as a reminder, pronouns in Chamorro have no gender, so depending on who is singing and the relationship they are singing about, this could be any two people. Also, the lyrics in Chamorro don’t explicitly state a gender (ie: with words like palao’an or låhi).

Chamoru	English
Kanna’ måmåtai macho’cho’ pau1 nå’i ni minalago’-ña	It’s like he’s working himself to death to give her what she wants
Finahåni tres kareta2 kontodus ai gimå’-ña	She was bought three cars, including oh her house
Lao atrasao måhållom an puengi para u fangariñu	But he comes in late when it’s night to embrace/caress lovingly
Ai ya ha tungo’ håfa hu hahasso’, sempri ilek-hu:	Oh and if she knew what I am thinking, I would definitely say:
Fahåni hit flores rosa3, babayi hit ni petta,	Buy me some roses, open the door for me,
ågang yu ginen i che’cho’ un diha	Call me from work one day
Ya(un) sangåni hu na hunggan guahu ha’ mås ya-mu4,	And tell me that yes, it is only me who you love the most
esti ha’ hu gagaggao, neni, ai ginen hågu	This is all I am asking for, baby, oh from you
Ai tres åños maloffan esta na tiempu	Oh three years of time has already passed
Ti ha kumprendi håfa na malago’ esta na u diningo’5	He doesn’t understand why she already wants to leave him
Lao tinani an puengi yan i mangga’chong, tennga mambulachu	But he’s busy when it’s night with his friends, they are often drunk
Guahu na maisa gi gima’, ha didingo’. Ilelek-hu:	I am alone in the house, and he leaves me. I am saying:
Fahåni hit flores rosa, babayi hit ni petta,	Buy me some roses, open the door for me,
Ai ågang yu, neni, gi che’cho’ un diha	Oh, call me baby, from work one day
Ya(un) sangåni hu na hunggan mangguaiya hao nu guahu	And tell me that yes, you are in love with me
esti ha’ hu gagaggao, neni, ai ginen hågu	This is all I am asking for, baby, oh from you
Ai kada puengi, ai dinidingo’ put para u pasehu	Oh every night, oh she is left by him to go stroll
Dalai ya ti ha tungo’ håfa hu hahasso’. Ilelek-hu:	Gosh and he doesn’t know what I am thinking. I am saying:
Fahåni hit flores rosa, babayi hit ni petta,	Buy me some roses, open the door for me
ågang yu ginen i che’cho’ un diha	call me from work one day
Ya(un) fanu’i hu na hunggan mangguaiya hao nu guahu	And show me that yes, you are in love with me
esti hu ha’ gagaggao, neni, ai ginen hågu	This is all I am asking for, baby, oh from you

Notes

¹ pau: This is a contraction of para u, which is a future marker.

² finahåni tres kareta: In this type of construction, the focus is more on who or what is receiving the action, which is why it translates to “she was bought three cars.” The pronouns are dropped in this line (and throughout the song in this construction) because it’s implied through context. To help us understand this structure, let’s insert the pronouns:

• Finahåni (gue’) tres kareta (nu guiya) = (She/He) was bought three cars (by him/her)
• Diningu (gue’) (nu guiya) = (She/He) was left (by him/her)
• Dinidingu (gue’) (nu guiya) = (She/He) is being left (by him/her)

If you want more of a deep-dive into this construction, see my notes on Using the -IN- Infix.

³ fahåni hit flores rosa: This line literally translates to “buy us some roses.” But it’s important to note that speakers will sometimes use the pronoun hit when they are referring to themselves. So in context, we interpret this line as “buy me some roses.”

⁴ guahu ha’ mås ya-mu: The phrase mås ya-mu literally translates to “what you like most” or “your favorite.” In the context of love and romance, it is also a way to convey love, rather than using guaiya.

⁵ Ti ha kumprendi håfa na malago’ esta na u diningo’: In English, we would understand this as “He doesn’t understand why she already wants to leave him.” But the grammar in the Chamorro is a bit more nuanced. The construction of na u diningo’ has pronouns dropped because it’s understood in context. But if we were to add back the pronouns, it would be na u diningo’ (gue’) (nu guiya), which can be literally translated as “that he will be left by her.” This is using the -IN- Infix again, which in this lyric puts more focus on who is being left rather than who is doing the leaving.