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Circle songs and games

Que llueva, que llueva

A traditional circle song for rainy days: «que sí, que no» (“oh yes, oh no”), and down comes the rain!

Lyrics in Spanish with English translation

The English meaning is under each line.

Que llueva, que llueva...Let it rain, let it rain…

Que llueva, que llueva,Let it rain, let it rain,los pajaritos cantan,the little birds are singing,las nubes se levantan,the clouds are rising,que sí, que no,oh yes, oh no,que caiga un chaparrón.let a downpour come.

Que llueva, que llueva,Let it rain, let it rain,los pajaritos cantan,the little birds are singing,las nubes se levantan,the clouds are rising,que sí, que no,oh yes, oh no,que caiga un chaparrón.let a downpour come.

Que llueva, que llueva,Let it rain, let it rain,los pajarillos cantan,the little birds are singing,la luna se levanta,the moon is rising,que sí, que no,oh yes, oh no,que caiga un chaparrón,let a downpour come,que sí, que no,oh yes, oh no,le canta el labrador.the farmer sings to it.

Que llueva, que llueva,Let it rain, let it rain,los pajaritos cantan,the little birds are singing,las nubes se levantan,the clouds are rising,que sí, que no,oh yes, oh no,que caiga un chaparrón.let a downpour come.

¡Que sí!Yes!¡Que no!No!¡Que sí!Yes!¡Que no!No!¡Que caiga un chaparrón!Let a downpour come!¡Que sí!Yes!¡Que no!No!¡Que sí!Yes!¡Que no!No!¡Que caiga un chaparrón!Let a downpour come!

Que llueva, que llueva,Let it rain, let it rain,los pajaritos cantan,the little birds are singing,las nubes se levantan,the clouds are rising,que sí, que no,oh yes, oh no,que caiga un chaparrón,let a downpour come,que sí, que no,oh yes, oh no,¡que caiga un chaparrón!let a downpour come!

Que llueva, que llueva...Let it rain, let it rain…¡Que caiga un chaparrón!Let a downpour come!

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How to say it

Spanish vowels are short and clear: a (ah), e (eh), i (ee), o (oh), u (oo). Capital letters mark the stressed syllable.

que llueva
keh YWEH-bah · let it rain
los pajaritos
lohs pah-hah-REE-tohs · the little birds
las nubes
lahs NOO-behs · the clouds
que sí, que no
keh SEE, keh NOH · oh yes, oh no
chaparrón
chah-pah-RROHN · downpour
la luna
lah LOO-nah · the moon

Off-screen

How to play

  1. Hold hands in a circle and walk around as you sing.
  2. On every «que sí, que no» (“oh yes, oh no”), move your head: up and down for yes, side to side for no.
  3. On «¡que caiga un chaparrón!» (“let a downpour come!”), everyone crouches down as if the rain were falling on them… then stands up for the next round.
  4. In the call-and-response part, split the circle into two groups: one shouts «¡Que sí!» (“Yes!”) and the other answers «¡Que no!» (“No!”).
Singing together:
Pause before «chaparrón» (“downpour”) and let your child say it.
Good for practicing:
Waiting for the signal, yes and no with the head, and talking about the weather: rain, clouds and the moon.
Other versions:
In Spain it’s also sung as «Que llueva, que llueva, la Virgen de la Cueva…».

More ideas for singing with your child

All the lyrics in the songbookLesson plan for the classroomMore circle games and how to play them

Where it comes from

«Que llueva, que llueva» (“Let it rain, let it rain”) is a traditional children’s rhyme for asking for rain, by an unknown author. In 1884, folklorist Eugenio de Olavarría y Huarte published it among the traditions of Madrid, with the line «la Virgen de la Cueva» (“the Virgin of the Cave”), which our version doesn’t sing. It was still being collected in the 20th century, for example in Badajoz, Spain, in 1945, and in Mexico, where Vicente T. Mendoza wrote down the verse with «la luna se levanta» (“the moon is rising”) and «le canta el labrador» (“the farmer sings to it”) in 1951.

Sources: