Spanish Songs, Translated

If you’ve ever learned Spanish from a textbook and then listened to Puerto Rican reggaeton and thought, wait, what language is this? – Chicharrón is a pretty good example of why.

Guaynaa and Cauty pack this song with Puerto Rican slang, shortened words, double meanings, food metaphors, playful exaggeration, and plenty of dembow energy. It is not exactly the Spanish textbook would choose, but it is excellent material for learning how informal Caribbean Spanish actually sounds.

About the Song

Chicharrón was released in August 2019 and features Puerto Rican artists Guaynaa and Cauty, with production involving DJ Blass and Mr. Greenz. Guaynaa described the song as something made to dance, have fun, and escape from routine, while also warning that its language was explicit. (YouTube⁠)

The song is essentially a playful, highly suggestive flirtation. Chicharrón is also part of the song’s wordplay, with the food reference being used for humorous and sensual double meanings rather than simply referring to the dish. (SonicHits⁠)

Watch the official music video on YouTube⁠

🇪🇸 Reading Comprehension Level: B2

This is definitely not beginner Spanish.

The grammar underneath the slang is often straightforward, but understanding the song requires familiarity with Puerto Rican pronunciation, omitted sounds, colloquialisms, double meanings, and references that cannot be translated literally.

We will focus on:

• Puerto Rican and Caribbean Spanish slang
• Informal shortened forms such as pa’, to’, vo’, and na’
• Estar + adjective for describing states
• Lo que… constructions
• Para + infinitive for purpose
• Expressions such as ponerse pa’ lo serio, no pasa nada, and estar arrebata’o
• Food-based wordplay and double meanings
• Understanding meaning from context rather than translating every word literally

🎶 Chicharrón – Spanish Lyrics & English Translation

Oh-ouh
Oh-ouh

DJ blass
DJ Blass

B-l-a-s-s
B-L-A-S-S

Ey, mr greenz
Hey, Mr. Greenz

Ah-ah
Ah-ah

Cauty
Cauty

El guaynabichy
El Guaynabichy

Mi chi-chi (prr-prr)
My chichi (purr-purr)

El guaynabichy
El Guaynabichy

Chequeate esto (ah-ah)
Check this out (ah-ah)

Si tú lo que quiere’ es tensió-ó-ón
If what you want is tension

Yo sé que lo hace con toda la intención (ey, ey)
I know you do it intentionally (hey, hey)

De que me de un infarto en el corazón-ón (ah-ah)
To give me a heart attack (ah-ah)

Tú está caliente conmigo chicharrón, chicharrón
You’re hot for me, chicharrón, chicharrón

Si tú lo que quiere’ es tensió-ó-ón
If what you want is tension

Yo sé que lo hace con toda la intención
I know you do it intentionally

De que me de un infarto en el corazón-ón
To give me a heart attack

Tú está caliente conmigo chicharrón, chicharrón
You’re hot for me, chicharrón, chicharrón

Tú está’ caliente, te vo’ a tirar la chispa que te hace falta
You’re fired up, I’m going to give you the spark you’re missing

Te suelta’ cuando fuma de María teresa
You loosen up when you smoke María Teresa

Pa’ arriba y pa’ abajo la cabeza de esa
Up and down, that head of yours

Se ve flaquita, pero el booty-booty pesa-pesa
She looks skinny, but that booty-booty is heavy-heavy

Bendita esa chapa pa’l que fue mi perdición
Blessed be that figure that became my downfall

Tú conmigo chicha-chicharrón
You with me, chicha-chicharrón

Quiero a tu mamá, pa’ pedirle bendición
I want your mother’s blessing

Hoy tú va’ a abrir to’ lo que no sea corazón
Today you’re going to open everything except your heart

Dale (dale)
Go on (go on)

Hoy va’ a cobrar sin trabajar, dale
Today you’re going to get paid without working, go on

Tu cirugía puedo financiar (lo vale)
I can finance your surgery (it’s worth it)

Me caso contigo porque tú ere’ como caso federal
I’ll marry you because you’re like a federal case

Por favor no me taggeés en el history de Instagram (no)
Please don’t tag me in the Instagram Story (no)

Tú lo que está es desenfoca’, ey
You’re just out of focus, hey

No la dejen sola que está arrebata’
Don’t leave her alone because she’s out of it

Búscate a tu amiga, dime, ¿dónde es que está? (uh)
Go find your friend, tell me, where is she? (uh)

Que está noche por mi madre que también se va-ah
Because tonight, I swear, she’s going too

Si tú lo que quiere’ es tensió-ó-ón
If what you want is tension

Yo sé que lo hace con toda la intención
I know you do it intentionally

De que me de un infarto en el corazón-ón
To give me a heart attack

Tú está caliente conmigo chicharrón, chicharrón
You’re hot for me, chicharrón, chicharrón

Si tú lo que quiere’ es tensió-ó-ón
If what you want is tension

Yo sé que lo hace con toda la intención
I know you do it intentionally

De que me de un infarto en el corazón-ón
To give me a heart attack

Caliente conmigo (¡ey!), chicharrón, chicharrón
Hot for me (hey!), chicharrón, chicharrón

Guayalo pega’o que yo me afinco
Grind it close, because I really get into it

Ando como gabete, suelto, suelto, nunca trinco
I’m loose like a shoelace, loose, loose, never stuck

Yo corto, puyo, y pa’ que sepa’ también hinco
I cut, I poke, and just so you know, I also stab

¿Te gusta el dembow?, pues mr. Greenz te hizo 70 por 7-5
You like dembow? Well, Mr. Greenz made you 70 by 7-5

Se te notan to’ tus intencione’ (jaja)
Your intentions are obvious (haha)

Abusan del poder, mujer, con esos 2 melone’ (abusando)
You abuse your power, woman, with those two melons (abusing)

¿Dónde te pongo el paquete?, que el guaynabichy hoy te lo pone
Where should I put the package? The Guaynabichy is delivering it today

Pa’ lamberte el bacalao y no en piñone, ey
To lick your bacalao, and not in Piñones, hey

Tú lo que está es desenfoca’, ey
You’re just out of focus, hey

No la dejen sola que está arrebata’ (uh)
Don’t leave her alone because she’s out of it (uh)

Búscate a tu amiga, dime, ¿dónde es que está? (uh)
Go find your friend, tell me, where is she? (uh)

Que está noche por mi madre que también se va-ah (uh-ah)
Because tonight, I swear, she’s going too (uh-ah)

Cauty
Cauty

Mr. Greenz (uh)
Mr. Greenz (uh)

Centeno El Del Veneno
Centeno El Del Veneno

Yizus piccolo
Yizus Piccolo

Cómo suena vo’, ah
How does it sound, hey

DJ blass
DJ Blass

Young cauty
Young Cauty

Cauty
Cauty

El guaynabichy
El Guaynabichy

Cauty
Cauty

Ey
Hey

Ey, ey
Hey, hey

El guaynabichy
El Guaynabichy

Ey
Hey

Ponte pa’ lo serio que andamo’ con cautiverio
Get serious because we’re rolling with Cautiverio

¡Ah-ah!
Ah-ah!

📚 Vocabulary We Learned Through “Chicharrón”

Spanish	English	How it works in the song
tensión	tension	The sexual tension between the two people
intención	intention	Con toda la intención = intentionally
infarto	heart attack	Used hyperbolically to describe attraction
caliente	hot, sexually excited	Meaning depends heavily on context
chispa	spark	Literally a spark, metaphorically attraction or excitement
soltarse	to loosen up	Te sueltas = you loosen up / let yourself go
flaquito/a	skinny, slim	Diminutive form of flaco/a
pesar	to weigh	Pesa = weighs
perdición	downfall, ruin	Someone or something that is irresistibly tempting
bendición	blessing	Pedir la bendición = ask for someone’s blessing
cobrar	to get paid / collect money	Here, cobrar is used in the sense of getting paid
cirugía	surgery	Used in the song as part of a joke
financiar	to finance	To provide money for something
desenfocado/a	out of focus	Literally blurry, but can describe someone who is not mentally focused
arrebata’o/a	high, intoxicated, out of it	Highly colloquial Caribbean usage
intención	intention	Especially useful in se te notan tus intenciones
dembow	dembow	A rhythm/genre strongly associated with Caribbean urban music
afincarse	to lean into / get into something	Me afinco suggests putting energy or force into something
suelto/a	loose, free	Here it contributes to a physical/dance-related image
gabete	shoelace	Used in the expression suelto como gabete

A word worth knowing: “chicharrón”

At the most basic level, chicharrón is a popular Latin American food made from fried pork skin or pork belly, with regional variations.

But the song clearly isn’t discussing food.

Here, the word becomes part of the song’s deliberately absurd and suggestive wordplay. Sources discussing the song point to chicharrón being used metaphorically and as a sexual pun, which fits the song’s broader use of food and body-related double meanings.

So this is one to recognize in the song, rather than memorize as a standard romantic expression.

🧠 Grammar We Learned Through “Chicharrón”

Grammar point	Example from the song	What it teaches us
Lo que…	Si tú lo que quiere’ es tensión	Lo que means “what” or “the thing that.” Here, lo que quieres = “what you want.”
Querer + infinitive	Tú lo que quieres…	Querer is followed by an infinitive when the same person wants to do something.
Estar + adjective	Tú está caliente	Estar + adjective describes a temporary state or condition.
Estar + gerund	No la dejen sola que está arrebata’	Estar can combine with the gerund to describe an action in progress.
Para + infinitive	Pa’ pedirle bendición	Para + infinitive expresses purpose: “in order to ask for…”
Ir a + infinitive	Te vo’ a tirar la chispa	Ir a + infinitive expresses an intended or near-future action. Vo’ is an informal shortened pronunciation of voy here.
Se + indirect object	Se te notan tus intenciones	Se te nota/n is a common structure meaning that something is noticeable to you. Here, the intentions are obvious.
Imperative + pronoun	Ponte pa’ lo serio	Ponte comes from ponerse and means “get yourself into…” or “get serious.”

“Lo que” appears everywhere

The opening:

Si tú lo que quieres es tensión…

is a great example of a structure that appears constantly in natural Spanish.

Lo que quieres = what you want

You can use the same pattern everywhere:

• Lo que quiero es dormir. = What I want is to sleep.
• Lo que necesito es tiempo. = What I need is time.
• Lo que me gusta es bailar. = What I like is dancing.

Once you start noticing lo que, you will hear it everywhere.

💬 Spanish Expressions We Learned Through “Chicharrón”

Expression	Meaning	Usage
con toda la intención	intentionally / on purpose	Used when someone does something deliberately
dar un infarto	to give someone a heart attack	Often used hyperbolically when something is shocking or overwhelming
soltarse	to loosen up / let loose	Very useful for describing someone becoming less restrained
pedir la bendición	to ask for a blessing	Can be literal or used in a family/relationship context
caso federal	federal case	A humorous exaggeration for something complicated or serious
no pasa nada	it’s okay / nothing’s wrong	Extremely common everyday expression
estar desenfocado/a	to be out of focus / not focused	Can be literal or describe someone’s mental state
ponerse pa’ lo serio	get serious / get down to business	Informal Caribbean-style expression

“Pedir la bendición”

Quiero a tu mamá, pa’ pedirle bendición.

Literally, this is:

I want your mother so I can ask her for her blessing.

The interesting part is that the singer jumps dramatically from flirtation to marriage and asking the mother for her blessing. That’s part of the song’s deliberately exaggerated humour.

Bendición itself simply means blessing, and pedir la bendición can be used in family and religious contexts as well.

“Caso federal”

The line:

Me caso contigo porque tú ere’ como caso federal

is a joke built around the idea of a federal case being something serious, complicated, or requiring a lot of attention.

So he is essentially comparing the woman to a serious case while turning the phrase into a rhyme and flirtatious exaggeration.

It is not a standard romantic expression. It is song-specific wordplay.

Caribbean Spanish: why does everything seem to be missing letters?

This song is an excellent listening exercise because written Spanish and spoken Caribbean Spanish can look very different.

You see:

• quieres → quiere’
• estás → está’
• voy → vo’
• para → pa’
• todo → to’
• intenciones → intencione’
• andamos → andamo’

The missing final s and shortened words reflect informal pronunciation. You don’t need to reproduce these forms in formal Spanish, but recognizing them will make reggaeton much easier to understand.

🎯 Quick Spanish Quiz

B2 Reading Comprehension

Read the Spanish lyrics and choose the best answer. These questions focus on understanding the meaning of the Spanish in context rather than translating every word individually.

1. What does

“Si tú lo que quiere’ es tensión”

suggest about the woman?

A. She is deliberately creating romantic or sexual tension.
B. She is trying to avoid the singer.
C. She is nervous about a serious conversation.
D. She wants to leave the party.

2. In

“Quiero a tu mamá, pa’ pedirle bendición,”

what is the singer jokingly suggesting?

A. He wants to borrow money from her mother.
B. He wants to ask her mother for permission or blessing.
C. He wants her mother to teach him to cook.
D. He wants to apologize to her mother.

3. What does

“No la dejen sola que está arrebata’”

imply?

A. She is physically injured.
B. She is extremely focused.
C. She is intoxicated or out of it and shouldn’t be left alone.
D. She is angry because someone left her.

4. What does

“Se te notan to’ tus intencione’”

mean?

A. Your intentions are obvious.
B. You have forgotten your intentions.
C. Your intentions are complicated.
D. You need to explain your intentions.

5. Why is

“pa’”

used repeatedly in the song?

A. It is a formal grammatical construction.
B. It is an informal shortened form of para, common in speech and music.
C. It means “because.”
D. It is a special Puerto Rican verb.

✅ Answer Key

1. A – The singer believes she is deliberately provoking attraction and tension.
2. B – He jokingly jumps from flirting to asking the woman’s mother for her blessing.
3. C – Arrebata’a is colloquial Caribbean slang for being intoxicated, high, or out of it.
4. A – Se te notan means that something is noticeable to you, and here her intentions are obvious.
5. B – Pa’ is an informal shortened form of para.

📖 Want to Learn More Spanish?

If you’re ready to move beyond individual grammar lessons and want one book that covers grammar, vocabulary, verbs, and everyday Spanish together, Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Spanish All-in-One by Gilda Nissenberg is a useful addition to your Spanish-learning toolkit.

It combines several areas of Spanish practice into one comprehensive resource, with 656 pages covering grammar, vocabulary, verbs, and practical exercises.

Check it out on Amazon.com⁠

As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. Help a small creator out!

❤️ Final Thoughts

Chicharrón is probably not the song I would use to teach someone their first 50 Spanish words.

But once you already know some Spanish, songs like this are where things get interesting. You start hearing pa’, to’, vo’, arrebata’o, ponte pa’ lo serio, and a ridiculous number of double meanings, and suddenly you’re learning something that a standard grammar exercise simply cannot reproduce.

The biggest lesson here is that understanding Spanish is not always the same as translating Spanish. Sometimes you have to understand the culture, the pronunciation, the slang, and the joke before the sentence actually makes sense.

And honestly, that’s half the fun.

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