Spanish Songs, Translated

What does “Por Perro” mean? Learn Spanish through Sebastián Yatra’s heartbreak anthem about drinking, missing an ex & regretting your mistakes

There is a very specific kind of heartbreak that only seems to arrive on Friday night. You spend Monday through Thursday pretending you’re fine, and then the weekend arrives, the drinks start flowing, and suddenly every song sounds like your ex.

That is basically the emotional disaster zone of “Por Perro” by Sebastián Yatra, Luis Figueroa and Lary Over. The song is funny, messy and painfully relatable: the narrator knows he messed things up, but instead of moving on, he goes out drinking, tries to impress other women and ends up missing his ex even more.

For Spanish learners, this song is packed with conversational Latin American Spanish, expressions for heartbreak, nightlife vocabulary, slang, reflexive constructions and some wonderfully Colombian phrases. It is also a great example of how Spanish speakers use por to express the reason or cause behind something.

Table of Contents

About the Song

“Por Perro” brings together Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra with Luis Figueroa and Puerto Rican rapper Lary Over for a song about the consequences of being a little too careless in love. The title literally means “Because of being a dog”, with perro used colloquially to describe someone who behaves badly or is unfaithful in relationships.

The narrator’s strategy for getting over his ex is not particularly successful. He goes out, drinks, surrounds himself with friends and waits for his phone to ring, only to discover that beneath all the partying, he is still deeply heartbroken.

Listen to the Song

🎵 Por Perro – Sebastián Yatra ft. Luis Figueroa, Lary Over

Watch “Por Perro” on YouTube⁠

Reading Comprehension Level

Estimated CEFR Level: B2

The basic vocabulary is approachable, but the song becomes more challenging because of slang, contractions, idiomatic expressions and meaning that has to be inferred from context.

We will practice:

• Colombian and Caribbean slang.
• Expressions related to heartbreak and relationships.
• Informal vocabulary for partying and drinking.
• Por to express cause or consequence.
• Reflexive and pronominal constructions.
• Understanding implied meaning and emotional tone.
• Reading conversational Spanish rather than textbook Spanish.

The comprehension questions are designed at B2 level, focusing on inference, vocabulary in context, speaker intention and the relationship between events in the lyrics.

Por Perro – Spanish Lyrics with English Translation

(Yatra, Yatra)
(Yatra, Yatra.)

Si pudieras ver cómo estoy
If you could see how I am.

Hecho mierda sin ti
I’m a complete mess without you.

Escondiendo el dolor (escondiendo el dolor)
Hiding the pain (hiding the pain).

Me deprime cada canción
Every song gets me down.

Esas que hablan de amor
The ones that talk about love.

Como el que yo perdí
Like the love I lost.

De lunes a jueves, sé disimular
From Monday to Thursday, I know how to hide it.

Pero llega el weekend y me pongo mal
But the weekend arrives and I feel awful.

Trato de ignorarlo y me voy a rumbear
I try to ignore it and go out partying.

Con un par de amigas, para impresionar
With a couple of female friends, to impress you.

Pero cada vez que siento el celular
But every time I feel my phone vibrate.

Pienso que eres tú que vuelves a llamar
I think it’s you calling again.

Y me pega duro tanta soledad
And all this loneliness hits me hard.

Después de unos tragos, sale la verdad
After a few drinks, the truth comes out.

Estoy borracho otra vez
I’m drunk again.

Intentando entender
Trying to understand.

Cómo es que tú puedes olvidarme
How you can forget me.

Mientras yo quisiera devorarte
While I wish I could devour you.

Estoy tomando otra vez
I’m drinking again.

Después que lo dejé
After I had quit.

Y esta noche, en vez de olvidarte
And tonight, instead of forgetting you.

Yo sigo extrañándote
I keep missing you.

No sé por qué
I don’t know why.

Yo, por perro, me lo busqué
I brought this on myself by being a dog.

Yo, por perro, me lo busqué
I brought this on myself by being a dog.

No sé por qué (no, no, no)
I don’t know why (no, no, no).

Yo, por perro, me lo busqué
I brought this on myself by being a dog.

Y por eso, tú estás con él
And that’s why you’re with him.

(El Wason, bebé)
(El Wason, baby.)

Llevo cinco copas de Möet, pensando en usted
I’ve had five glasses of Moët, thinking about you.

Te prometo ya pagué lo que fallé
I promise you, I’ve already paid for my mistakes.

Cuando sueltes ese bobo, tú me llamas
When you dump that fool, call me.

Pa’ que te recuerde to’ los besos que te daba, baby
So I can remind you of all the kisses I used to give you, baby.

Dime dónde estás, no te consigo
Tell me where you are, I can’t find you.

Ando borracho loco y quiero volver contigo
I’m drunk and crazy, and I want to get back with you.

Hoy no somos nada, ni amigos, ni enemigos (no, no, no)
Today we’re nothing, neither friends nor enemies (no, no, no).

Pero cuando tomo, pienso en darte castigo, yeh-yeh
But when I drink, I think about getting revenge on you, yeah-yeah.

Solo llama
Just call.

Cuando tú me pienses en tu cama
When you think of me in your bed.

No te creas lo que dicen de mi fama
Don’t believe what they say about my reputation.

Estás con otro, pero sé que tú me amas, me amas (yeh, yeh)
You’re with someone else, but I know you love me, you love me (yeah, yeah).

Solo llama
Just call.

Cuando tú me pienses en tu cama
When you think of me in your bed.

No te creas lo que dicen de mi fama
Don’t believe what they say about my reputation.

Estás con otro, pero sé que tú me amas
You’re with someone else, but I know you love me.

De lunes a jueves, sé disimular
From Monday to Thursday, I know how to hide it.

Pero llega el weekend y me pongo mal
But the weekend arrives and I feel awful.

Trato de ignorarlo y me voy a rumbear
I try to ignore it and go out partying.

Con un par de amigas, para impresionar
With a couple of female friends, to impress you.

Pero cada vez que siento el celular
But every time I feel my phone vibrate.

Pienso que eres tú que vuelves a llamar
I think it’s you calling again.

Y me pega duro esta soledad
And this loneliness hits me hard.

Después de unos tragos, sale la verdad
After a few drinks, the truth comes out.

Estoy borracho otra vez
I’m drunk again.

Intentando entender
Trying to understand.

Cómo es que tú puedes olvidarme
How you can forget me.

Mientras yo quisiera devorarte
While I wish I could devour you.

Estoy tomando otra vez
I’m drinking again.

Después que lo dejé
After I had quit.

Y esta noche, en vez de olvidarte
And tonight, instead of forgetting you.

Yo sigo extrañándote
I keep missing you.

No sé por qué
I don’t know why.

Yo, por perro, me lo busqué
I brought this on myself by being a dog.

Yo, por perro, me lo busqué
I brought this on myself by being a dog.

No sé por qué (no, no, no)
I don’t know why (no, no, no).

Yo, por perro, me lo busqué
I brought this on myself by being a dog.

Y por eso, tú estás con él
And that’s why you’re with him.

(El Wason, bebé)
(El Wason, baby.)

Yatra, Yatra
Yatra, Yatra.

Lary Over
Lary Over.

Luis Figueroa
Luis Figueroa.

Xavo Sounds
Xavo Sounds.

Sky rompiendo el bajo (uh)
Sky breaking down the bass (uh).

I’ve been missing your lovin’, babe
I’ve been missing your lovin’, babe.

Being inside you, babe
Being inside you, babe.

I can’t lie
I can’t lie.

Vocabulary We Learned Through Por Perro

Spanish	English	Notes / Usage
hecho mierda	a complete mess	Very informal expression meaning someone is doing terribly.
esconder	to hide	Esconder el dolor = to hide the pain.
dolor	pain	Can be physical or emotional.
disimular	to hide, conceal, pretend	Often means hiding how you really feel.
ponerse mal	to feel bad, become upset	Me pongo mal = I start feeling bad.
ignorar	to ignore	Common everyday verb.
rumbear	to party, go out partying	Latin American slang, especially associated with Colombia and the Caribbean.
impresionar	to impress	Para impresionar = to impress someone.
pegar duro	to hit hard	Often used metaphorically for emotions or difficult situations.
soledad	loneliness	Related to solo/a.
trago	drink, alcoholic drink	Very common in Latin America.
borracho/a	drunk	Informal adjective for someone who has been drinking.
extrañar	to miss	Especially common in Latin America. Spain more commonly uses echar de menos.
buscarse algo	to bring something upon oneself	Me lo busqué = I brought this on myself.
perro	dog; player, womanizer	Here, por perro refers to his bad behaviour in the relationship.
bobo	fool, idiot	Can be insulting, but sometimes playful depending on context.
soltar	to let go, release	Cuando sueltes ese bobo = when you let that guy go.
conseguir	to find, get hold of	No te consigo = I can’t find/reach you.
fama	reputation, fame	Lo que dicen de mi fama refers to what people say about his reputation.
rumbear	to party	A useful piece of informal Latin American vocabulary.

Grammar We Learned Through Por Perro

Grammar Point	Example	Explanation
Si + imperfect subjunctive + conditional	Si pudieras ver cómo estoy…	A hypothetical structure meaning “If you could see how I am…”
Estar + past participle	Estoy hecho mierda.	Describes a resulting state: “I’m a complete mess.”
Tratar de + infinitive	Trato de ignorarlo.	Means “to try to do something.”
Ir a + infinitive	Me voy a rumbear.	Expresses an intended or immediate action.
Ponerse + adjective	Me pongo mal.	Ponerse describes a change of emotional or physical state.
Pensar que	Pienso que eres tú.	Used to express a thought or assumption.
Volver a + infinitive	Vuelves a llamar.	Means “to do something again.”
Seguir + gerund	Sigo extrañándote.	Means “to continue doing something.”
En vez de + infinitive	En vez de olvidarte…	Means “instead of doing something.”
Por + noun	Por perro, me lo busqué.	Here por expresses cause: “because of being a dog / because of my behaviour.”
Me lo busqué	Yo, por perro, me lo busqué.	Buscarse algo means to bring something upon oneself. Lo refers to the situation or consequence.
Después de + infinitive	Después de unos tragos…	Means “after…” and can be followed by a noun or infinitive.
Para + infinitive	Para impresionar.	Expresses purpose: “in order to impress.”

Spanish Expressions We Learned from Por Perro

Estoy hecho mierda – “I’m a complete mess.” This is very informal and stronger than simply saying estoy mal.

Me pongo mal – “I start feeling bad.” Ponerse is extremely useful because it describes a change in state: me pongo feliz, me pongo nervioso, me pongo triste.

Me pega duro – “It hits me hard.” Spanish frequently uses physical verbs metaphorically for emotions.

Salir a rumbear – “To go out partying.” Rumbear is informal Latin American vocabulary for going out, partying and having a good time.

Me lo busqué – “I brought this on myself.” This is particularly useful because buscar normally means “to look for,” but buscarse algo can mean causing or earning a consequence through your own actions.

Por perro – “Because of being a dog / because I behaved badly.” In this song, perro is not literally an animal. It refers to the speaker’s behaviour as a romantic partner.

Sale la verdad – “The truth comes out.” The song uses this after drinking to suggest that alcohol removes the narrator’s ability to hide his real feelings.

Quick Spanish Quiz

B2 Reading Comprehension

Read the lyrics carefully and choose the best answer.

1. What does the narrator do from Monday to Thursday?

A. He spends time with his ex.
B. He pretends that he is doing okay.
C. He goes out drinking every night.
D. He tries to contact his ex.

2. Why does the narrator go out with a couple of female friends?

A. He genuinely wants to start a new relationship.
B. He wants to make his ex jealous or impress her.
C. His friends force him to go out.
D. He wants to forget how to drink.

3. What does

“Después de unos tragos, sale la verdad”

imply about the narrator?

A. Drinking makes him forget his feelings completely.
B. Drinking gives him the confidence to call his friends.
C. Drinking causes the feelings he has been hiding to become apparent.
D. Drinking helps him understand why his relationship ended.

4. What does

“Yo, por perro, me lo busqué”

reveal about the narrator’s attitude?

A. He believes his ex treated him unfairly.
B. He accepts that his own behaviour contributed to the breakup.
C. He thinks his ex will eventually apologize.
D. He believes he was simply unlucky in love.

5. Which statement best summarizes the narrator’s emotional situation?

A. He has completely moved on but enjoys remembering the relationship.
B. He is angry with his ex and wants nothing more to do with her.
C. He pretends to be moving on, but partying and drinking reveal that he still misses her.
D. He is happily dating someone new and wants his ex to leave him alone.

Answers

1. B
2. B
3. C
4. B
5. C

Final Thoughts – Learn Spanish Through Music

Por Perro is basically a lesson in the difference between looking like you’ve moved on and actually moving on. The narrator can pretend from Monday to Thursday, but by the weekend, a few drinks are enough to expose everything he has been trying to hide.

For Spanish learners, it is especially useful because the language feels genuinely conversational. From me pongo mal and me pega duro to me lo busqué and rumbear, these are the kinds of expressions that make your Spanish sound less like a textbook and more like real Latin American conversation.

If you want to learn Spanish, I’m a certified C1-level Spanish teacher who can help you learn through real conversations and help you reach fluency.

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¡Hasta pronto!