A Quick Question About Reggaeton Music Language

Hello !

I have a dumb question which i need answers to.

Firstly, i hope this is posted at the right section. If not, i apologize.

Secondly, i have to admit that i love reggaeton music and have been listening to them for years. Sadly, i have no idea what the lyrics are about but the fast and catchy beats/melody is too good to be missed.
So here goes the question. Reggaeton music such as from Ivy Queen, Angel Lopez, Tito "El Bambino", etc is what i enjoy. But what language are they? I translated the lyrics on Google Translator and it shows as Spanish. But i also know that there's Spanish - Latin America, Spanish - Spain, etc. Which is the one sung by the artists mentioned above?

Lastly, I'm really looking to learn Spanish ( not too sure which Spanish but it's the ones from Reggaeton music ) and it would be nice to get some suggestion on which software/program would be best to learn the language. I hope it's not too hard.


Thanks for your time and appreciate any response.
Have a good one !

Well, I'm not really a big fan of reggaeton music, but it's a mixture of spanish (I think it's mostly mexican), spanglish, and a lot of slang...
In regards to learning spanish, I don't know about any programs (maybe someone else does), but a good way to learn is to watch movies or listen to songs in spanish.
I did that when I was learning english (I'm from Argentina :)) and it worked really well... The good thing is that with tv shows and movies, you learn the "every day" language, not the one that teach you in books... That's the correct one (like formal), but it's also good to know how people communicates daily...
I hope this helps! :)

Thank you gise1984. So i assume reggaeton music are based mostly on Spanish ( Latin America ) and slang. Well, slang would be impossible to learn from books or programs. But you made a good point about watching movies or by listening to the music. I guess music would be best since i could google for the lyrics and use a translator to find out what it means.

Added rep for your response. :)

If there's anybody else with any answers/suggestions/etc, please don't hesitate to let me know. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dj SharK

Hello !

I have a dumb question which i need answers to.

Firstly, i hope this is posted at the right section. If not, i apologize.

Secondly, i have to admit that i love reggaeton music and have been listening to them for years. Sadly, i have no idea what the lyrics are about but the fast and catchy beats/melody is too good to be missed.
So here goes the question. Reggaeton music such as from Ivy Queen, Angel Lopez, Tito "El Bambino", etc is what i enjoy. But what language are they? I translated the lyrics on Google Translator and it shows as Spanish. But i also know that there's Spanish - Latin America, Spanish - Spain, etc. Which is the one sung by the artists mentioned above?

Lastly, I'm really looking to learn Spanish ( not too sure which Spanish but it's the ones from Reggaeton music ) and it would be nice to get some suggestion on which software/program would be best to learn the language. I hope it's not too hard.


Thanks for your time and appreciate any response.
Have a good one !

---

Hello DJ Shark,
As a native NYer, I will tell you that the majority of the reggaeton you hear (and the ones you mentioned above) are PUERTO RICAN, not Mexican.
There may be some Mexican Reggaetoneros out there, but none that I've heard of. But there are Panamenian Reggaetoneros, like Flex (He's rated G because he uses no foul language or suggestions, far as I've heard, don't quote me! heehee!).
Most of the language they use in the reggaeton music is Puerto Rican slang. There is no software to teach you PR slang. They have a way of talking and an accent that for the non native can be hard to understand if the speakers are not well spoken.
My suggestion would be to get yourself in a Spanish program or class to learn your basic Spanish. From there you can pick up slang words here and there.
Because the spanish used in reggaeton is a mixture of spanish (PR spanish), slang and spanglish- it will be hard for you to just learn spanish from that music. But as gise1984 suggested, watch tv in spanish, try to listen to other music in spanish, go to spanish places where you can hear the language spoken (resturants, clubs, you get the idea...)etc. To get you going with the language.
Hope that helps and let me know if you have any more questions!

Doggone if it ain't Dragona!!!:) How are you?

All good suggestions here. I would add in response to DjShark's comments, that Spanish is Spanish basically, just like English is English and the basic rules of grammar are the same whether it is from Spain, Mexico, Central or South America.

We non-natives all probably learned to speak Spanish by different methods Based on my experience a good foundation in proper Spanish grammar is essential. You'll never really know how to read, write and speak the language if you don't know the different verb forms and the rules that govern them. Learning by listening is OK I guess if all you want to do is memorize a few songs and common phrases but but I don't recommend it because you are not going to learn the fundamentals. If you are serious about understanding Spanish beyond listening to music and talking slang then you should take a formal course in the basics. Once you know the basics then watching TV, listening to music, talking to others will have a great deal more meaning and enjoyment for you. It isn't all that difficult if you have an aptitude for learning a language. In my opinion, if you don't have an idea of what the subject is, i.e., what they're talking about, then listening to TV or CDs isn't going to do you much good. Movies with sub-titles are a little better but not much.

I'm with Dragona, if you really want to learn...go take a class at a junior college where you can study and talk with others or go online and pick a beginner's course that teaches basics....I don't know which to recommend but I imagine they are all pretty much the same. Once you have started studying then the movies, restaurants, bars, music, etc., will help. And get yourself a good Spanish-speaking friend to talk with!!:)

Good luck!!

Wow. Thank you very much for all the great responses.

I'll be sure to take those advises and make an attempt at going for night classes once i could find one here.

Again, thank you very much.

A round of +rep for all for your time to help me better understand my query.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by vicente

Doggone if it ain't Dragona!!!:) How are you?

Good luck!!

---

Vincente my friend! How've you been?
I know, I know, I've been away for a bit...I'll try to be back more often!
Thanks so much for remembering me!!! And thanks for the doggone!! Made my day!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dragona

Vincente my friend! How've you been?
I know, I know, I've been away for a bit...I'll try to be back more often!
Thanks so much for remembering me!!! And thanks for the doggone!! Made my day!!!

---

Cool! It's great to see you Dragona and I hope you stay with us. You're one of the best!:)

Vicente!!!
I have been away...far far away!!! In the world of the PTA!
I am back!!!
How've you been??

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dragona

Vicente!!!
I have been away...far far away!!! In the world of the PTA!
I am back!!!
How've you been??

---

Dragona!!! Big hug!

Come on in, take your coat off and stay awhile!!:D

BTW Dragona, the only PTA I know of is the Parent Teachers Asso. Is that the world that took you away from us or is there another PTA?

Reggaeton was shaped and made known in Puerto Rico where it got its name; most of its current artists are also from Puerto Rico.

Enjoy,

DADDY YANKEE Somos de Calle Remix, EL CARTEL Official Version - YouTube

Vicente, darling, that is exactly what took me away from you!! But I am back, and will try to come and see you more often now! Promise :-)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dragona

Vicente, darling, that is exactly what took me away from you!! But I am back, and will try to come and see you more often now! Promise :-)

---

Woo Hoo! I'm holding you to that promise. You've been gone waaay too long!:D

Missed you too!!!!

I love Reggaeton music. Some of my favorite artists are Daddy Yankee and NinaSky. One cannot sit still while listening to it. Makes you have to get up and dance!!!

Brapoza, have you seen D. Yankee's movie, "Talento de Barrio?"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFz6zbc_2Vc

I just read that Daddy Yankee came out of the closet?!?! Do you guys know if that´s true??

chris.r, no I haven't. I wasn't aware he starred in a movie! Did you see it? Can you tell me a little bit about it? I'm very interested in hearing back from you. Thanks!

amayo, a few months back that was blowing up the internet! There was even a picture of him kissing some guy. After a while it died down and I haven't heard anything about it since. True or not?! I couldn't tell you. Where did you read it?

http://www.english-spanish-translato...cons/icon1.png Re: A Quick Question About Reggaeton Music Language

chris.r, no I haven't. I wasn't aware he starred in a movie! Did you see it? Can you tell me a little bit about it? I'm very interested in hearing back from you. Thanks!

Brapoza, I have seen it. They claim it's his life story, even though I think it's a bit exaggerated.

chris.r, Is it worth watching? Exaggerated how? Is it something you would recommend seeing? I look forward to your response.