For this Saturday’s Praktikan Pupuengi session, our friend Danet won the vote and chose Adios Guinaiya by Rose Martinez Certeza. The music is in an upbeat, East coast swing style, which contrasts with the singer’s sad tale of being left by their significant other. The group had a great time helping each other out to get these lyrics transcribed and some words were not immediately obvious. I was supposed to be resting during the session because of my headache, but everyone was having so much fun that I couldn’t help but jump in and participate.

As always, this post includes Chamorro lyrics and an English translation for Adios Guinaiya by Rose Martinez Certeza. Happy listening!

Adios, guinaiya, adios minagof	Goodbye love, goodbye joy/happiness
Håfa adai trinisti, ayu bai hu padesi	Hello sadness, that’s what I will suffer
Ai håfa yu’ bai hu cho’gue	Oh what will I do?

Esta yu’ si neni1, na ha dingngu	Already, baby left me
Ha adora otru mås ki guahu	He/She adores another more than me
Ai mohon ya hu tungo’ håfa isao-hu2	Oh if only I knew what I did wrong
na para u yulang i kurason-hu	That he/she will break my heart

Adios, guinaiya, adios minagof	Goodbye love, goodbye joy/happiness
Håfa adai trinisti, ayu bai hu padesi	Hello sadness, that’s what I will suffer
Ai håfa yu’ bai hu cho’gue	Oh what will I do?

Eståba yu’ nai guini, kånton chålan	I was here by the road
Annai hu li’e si neni yan un palåo’an	When I saw babe and a woman
Hu bira guini i matå-hu	Here I turned my face
Para mungnga na u li’e tuhu i lago’-hu	So that he/she wouldn’t see my tears fall

Adios, guinaiya, adios minagof	Goodbye love, goodbye joy/happiness
Håfa adai trinisti, ayu bai hu padesi	Hello sadness, that’s what I will suffer
Ai håfa yu’ bai hu cho’gue	Oh what will I do?

[dåndan]

Adios, guinaiya, adios minagof	Goodbye love, goodbye joy/happiness
Håfa adai trinisti, ayu bai hu padesi	Hello sadness, that’s what I will suffer
Ai håfa yu’ bai hu cho’gue	Oh what will I do?

Ai makkat esti na kastigu	Oh this punishment is so difficult
Sa’ mampos fitme i guinaiya-ku	Because my love is perfect / true
lao po’lu diahlu3, ya bai hu sungon	But let it go, I will endure
Sa’ si Yu’us tumungo’ i sinientete-ku	Because God knows how I feel

Adios guinaiya, Adios minagof	Goodbye love, goodbye joy/happiness
Håfa adai trinisti, ayu bai hu padesi	Hello sadness, that’s what I will suffer
Ai håfa yu’ bai hu cho’gue	Oh what will I do?
Adios, adios, neni	Goodbye, goodbye, baby
Ai håfa yu’ bai hu cho’gue	Oh, what will I do?

Song transcription and translation developed collaboratively by the Praktikan Pupuengi Chamorro language practice group, led by Jay Che’le on January 31, 2026.

Notes

1. neni: In the song’s context, the singer is not referring to an infant, but to their significant other. The term neni is being used like the English words “babe”, “bae”, “boo” or other equivalent terms for a romantic partner. ↩︎
2. håfa isao-hu: This is literally translated as “what are my sins” or “what my sins are”, but in English we’d say this as “What I did wrong”. ↩︎
3. diahlu: This may also be spelled diahlo and it means “never mind” or “its okay”. ↩︎