Reggaeton phrases and words in English
Reggaeton isn't just music — it's a whole vocabulary born in Puerto Rico and Panama that now runs through Latin pop, TikTok, and group chats everywhere. Learn these and the lyrics that used to be a wall of noise suddenly make sense, plus you'll catch a crash course in how Caribbean Spanish swallows letters, borrows from English, and turns party words into everyday slang. Half of these you can drop with friends tomorrow; the other half will make you sound like you actually grew up on the genre.
10 phrases · meanings & example sentences
“Perreo / perrear”
The signature reggaeton dance — and yes, it literally comes from 'perro' (dog), because the moves look exactly like what you're imagining. 'Perreo' is the dance/the vibe, 'perrear' is the verb, and a 'perreo intenso' is the kind of night you don't text your mom about. It's a perfect example of how Spanish builds verbs straight off nouns, and it's now so mainstream that artists like Bad Bunny title whole songs after it.
- Vamos a perrear toda la noche. — We're going to perreo all night long.
- Ese tema es puro perreo. — That track is pure perreo.
- Bad Bunny tiene una canción que se llama 'Yo Perreo Sola'. — Bad Bunny has a song called 'I Perreo Alone'.
“Dembow”
The boom-ch-boom-chick drum pattern that every reggaeton song is built on — without dembow, it's not reggaeton. The name traces back to Shabba Ranks' 1990 dancehall track 'Dem Bow', and in the Dominican Republic 'dembow' even became the name of its own faster genre. Knowing this word instantly tells people you understand the music's roots, not just the hits.
- Esta canción tiene un dembow bien pegajoso. — This song has a really catchy dembow beat.
- El dembow dominicano es más rápido que el reggaetón. — Dominican dembow is faster than reggaeton.
- Sin dembow no hay perreo. — No dembow, no perreo.
“Bellaco / bellaquera”
In standard Spanish 'bellaco' means a sly rascal, but in Caribbean reggaeton it means horny, turned on, in the mood. 'La bellaquera' is that whole feeling of being hot and bothered — and you'll hear it in countless songs. It's a great lesson in how a word's meaning shifts completely depending on the region, so use it among friends, never in formal settings.
- Anda bellaco con esa canción. — That song's got him all worked up.
- Me llegó la bellaquera. — I'm in the mood now.
- Esa letra es pura bellaquera. — Those lyrics are pure thirst.
“Gata”
Literally 'female cat', but in reggaeton it's how you call an attractive, confident woman — think 'baddie' or 'hottie'. It pairs with 'gato' for guys and shows reggaeton's habit of turning animals into flattering nicknames. Tone is everything: it's playful and flirty among friends, but it can land as catcalling with a stranger, so read the room.
- Esa gata baila demasiado bien. — That girl dances way too well.
- Oye gata, ¿qué vas a tomar? — Hey gorgeous, what are you drinking?
- La gata llegó y se acabó la fiesta de los demás. — She walked in and stole the whole party.
“Janguear”
A pure Spanglish gem: it's the English 'to hang out' run through Puerto Rican phonetics, where 'h' becomes a hard 'j' sound. It means to chill, go out, hang with friends — 'el jangueo' is the hangout itself. This word is a tiny museum of how Boricua Spanish absorbs English and reshapes it, and it's incredibly handy in real conversation.
- ¿Vamos a janguear esta noche? — Wanna hang out tonight?
- El jangueo estuvo brutal. — The hangout was awesome.
- Me encanta janguear con la familia los domingos. — I love kicking back with family on Sundays.
“Tiraera / tirar”
A 'tiraera' is a diss track — from 'tirar' (to throw), as in throwing shots at a rival. Reggaeton has a long history of beefs settled in song (think the legendary battles between artists trading 'tiraeras'), much like rap battles in English. The verb 'tirar' on its own is everyday Spanish for 'to throw', so this teaches you a core verb plus its street-culture spin.
- Sacó una tiraera contra el otro cantante. — He dropped a diss track against the other singer.
- Se están tirando en cada canción. — They're throwing shots at each other in every song.
- Esa tiraera fue brutal, lo destruyó. — That diss was savage, he destroyed him.
“Boricua”
The proud word Puerto Ricans use for themselves and their island, from 'Borinquen', the Taíno (Indigenous) name for Puerto Rico. Reggaeton was basically born Boricua, so the word shows up constantly as a badge of identity and pride. It's a beautiful reminder that modern slang can carry centuries of pre-colonial history inside it.
- Soy boricua, pa' que tú lo sepas. — I'm Puerto Rican, just so you know.
- Ese flow es bien boricua. — That flow is so Puerto Rican.
- Los boricuas inventaron el reggaetón. — Puerto Ricans invented reggaeton.
“Flow”
Borrowed straight from English hip-hop, 'flow' means your rhythm and delivery on a track — but in reggaeton it ballooned into meaning your whole style, swagger, and confidence, even in how you dress or move. Saying someone 'tiene flow' is high praise. It shows how reggaeton freely adopts English words and then stretches them way past their original meaning.
- Ese tipo tiene un flow increíble. — That guy has incredible flow.
- Me gusta tu flow, te ves bien. — I like your style, you look great.
- Cambió el flow y la canción explotó. — He switched up the flow and the song blew up.
“Prende / súbele”
Two party commands you'll hear shouted on every track: 'prende' (light it up / turn it on) and 'súbele' (turn it up). They're imperative forms of 'prender' and 'subir', so memorizing them quietly drills two everyday verbs you'll use for lights, music, and volume in normal life too. In a song they basically mean 'get this party going'.
- ¡Prende esa vela, que empiece la fiesta! — Light that candle, let the party start!
- Súbele a la música, esta es mi canción. — Turn up the music, this is my song.
- Dale, prende y súbele que llegó el party. — Come on, light it up and crank it, the party's here.
“Tranqui”
A clipped, chilled-out version of 'tranquilo' (calm) — it's the reggaeton-and-everywhere way to say 'relax', 'no worries', or 'it's all good'. Chopping long words short like this ('tranqui', 'finde', 'porfa') is a huge feature of casual Spanish, and this one is among the most useful. Drop it to defuse tension or just to sound effortlessly laid-back.
- Tranqui, no pasa nada. — Relax, it's no big deal.
- Estate tranqui que yo me encargo. — Chill, I've got it handled.
- Todo tranqui por aquí, ¿y tú? — All good over here, you?
