Jan. 27, 2026

Learn Puerto Rican Spanish with Music [NUEVAYoL by Bad Bunny] ♫ 238

Learn Puerto Rican Spanish with Music [NUEVAYoL by Bad Bunny] ♫ 238

In this episode, we’re breaking down the lyrics to Nuevayol by the Puerto Rican superstar and future Super Bowl 2026 headliner, Bad Bunny. Joined by Puerto Rican linguist Adriana Lopez, we explore how this song pays homage to the legendary salsa group El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. Plus, you'll learn the cultural significance of the lyrics and the unique sounds of the Puerto Rican accent.

In this episode, we’re breaking down the lyrics to Nuevayol by the Puerto Rican superstar and future Super Bowl 2026 headliner, Bad Bunny.

Joined by Puerto Rican linguist Adriana Lopez, we explore how this song pays homage to the legendary salsa group El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. Plus, you'll learn the cultural significance of the lyrics and the unique sounds of the Puerto Rican accent.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

🗣️The linguistic reason why Puerto Ricans pronounce "New York" the way they do (and the specific sound change that creates the Puerto Rican accent)  

🥳The meaning of the slang word rulay and the specific feeling it describes when you are out with friends  

🇵🇷 The classic 1970s salsa anthem Bad Bunny samples in this track and what it reveals about the history of the Puerto Rican diaspora 

Listen to this episode to get ready for the Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show 🏈 and learn more conversational Puerto Rican Spanish.

Mentioned in this Episode:

NUEVAYoL (Letra)

¡Nueva York!
New York!

Si te quieres divertir
If you want to have fun

Con encanto y con primor
With charm and with beauty

Solo tienes que vivir (¿a dónde?)
You just have to live (where?)

Un verano en Nueva York (¡Nueva York!)
A summer in New York (New York!)

Si te quieres divertir
If you want to have fun

Con encanto y con primor (¿pero qué es esto?)
With charm and with beauty (but what is this?)

Solo tienes que vivir (¿y este frío?)
You just have to live (and this cold?)

Un verano en Nueva York (un ratito nada más)
A summer in New York (just a little while)

Ey, ey, ey, 4 de julio, fourth of July
Hey, hey, hey, July 4th, fourth of July

Ando con mi prima, borracha, rulay
I'm with my cousin, drunk, ready to party

Los míos en el Bronx saben la que hay
My people in the Bronx know what's up

Con la nota en high por Washington Heights
With the high buzz through Washington Heights

Willie Colón, me dicen el malo, ey
Willie Colón, they call me "The Bad One," hey

Porque pasan los años y sigo dando palo
Because years go by and I keep dropping hits

Vendiendo discos como cuadro de Frida Kahlo
Selling records like a Frida Kahlo painting

El perico es blanco, sí, sí
The coke is white, yes, yes

El tusi es rosita, eh-eh
The tusi (pink cocaine) is pink, eh-eh

No te confundas, no, no
Don't get confused, no, no

Mejor evita, ey
Better to avoid it, hey

Un shot de cañita en casa de Toñita, ay
A shot of moonshine at Casa de Toñita's, ay

PR se siente cerquita
PR (Puerto Rico) feels so close

Sí, sí, sí
Yes, yes, yes

Tengo el campeonato, nadie me lo quita
I have the championship, no one takes it from me

The best in the world
Number one, the best in the world

¿Cómo Bad Bunny va a ser rey del pop?, ey 
How is Bad Bunny going to be the King of Pop?, hey

Con reguetón y dembow, ey
With reggaeton and dembow, hey

Con reguetón y dembow, sí
With reggaeton and dembow, yes

Con reguetón y dembow
With reggaeton and dembow

¿Cómo Bad Bunny va a ser rey del pop?, ey
How is Bad Bunny going to be the King of Pop?, hey

Con reguetón y dembow
With reggaeton and dembow

Me siento como el Lápiz en "Capea el Dough"
I feel like Lápiz in "Capea el Dough"

Cuando yo nací fue que nació el flow
When I was born is when the flow was born

De lado a lado, ping-pong
From side to side, ping-pong

Flow pesado, Big Pun
Heavy flow, (like) Big Pun

Con silenciador le robamos las gatas, James Bond, ey
With a silencer we steal the girls, (like) James Bond, hey

Yo estoy en la mía, no tengo adversarios, no
I'm in my zone, I have no adversaries, no

Con los Yankees y los Mets, Juan Soto
With the Yankees and the Mets, Juan Soto

A correr, que otra vez la sacamos del estadio
Run, because we hit it out of the park again

Si te quieres divertir
If you want to have fun

Con encanto y con primor
With charm and with beauty

Solo tienes que vivir (ya mismo nos vamos)
You just have to live (we're leaving right now)

Un verano en Nueva Y- (un ratito más, un ratito)
A summer in New Y- (a little while longer, a little while)

Shh, cuidado, que nadie nos escuche (3x)
Shh, careful, let no one hear us

Tú tienes piquete, mami, yo también
You have swag, mami, me too

Tú estás buena, yo estoy bueno también
You look good, I look good too

Huelo rico y ando con los de cien
I smell good and I walk with the hundreds

Si tú los quieres, lo tienes que mover
If you want them, you have to move it

Tú tienes piquete, mami, yo también
You have swag, mami, me too

Tú estás buena, yo estoy bueno también
You look good, I look good too

Huelo rico y ando con los de cien
I smell good and I walk with the hundreds

Si tú los quieres, lo tienes que mover
If you want them, you have to move it

 

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Adriana M. López Profile Photo

Teacher

🇺🇸 My name is Adriana López Berríos. I am from Gurabo, Puerto Rico. I have been bilingual (Spanish and English) my entire life, and I have always loved traveling and meeting people and seeing places from all over the world.

I earned a Bachelor's degree in Modern Languages at the University of Puerto Rico, where I learned French and Italian. This sparked my curiosity about how people learn languages, which led me to pursue a Master's degree in Applied Linguistics at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

It was during my Master's program that I began teaching Spanish, and I really enjoyed it. After graduating, I worked as a teacher of Puerto Rican Spanish and English in Prague, Czech Republic. During those years, I discovered that there were many people who specifically wanted to learn to speak Spanish like Puerto Ricans.

That is why I decided to create the Instagram account @idiomas_coqui—to provide my students with a gateway to Puerto Rican content available on the internet and help them practice. Today, I continue working as an English and Puerto Rican Spanish teacher.

🇵🇷 Mi nombre es Adriana López Berríos. Soy de Puerto Rico del pueblo de Gurabo. Toda mi vida he sido bilingüe (español e inglés) y siempre me ha gustado viajar y conocer lugares y personas de diferentes partes del mundo.

En la universidad de Puerto Rico estudié un bachillerato en Lenguas Modernas y aprendí francés e italiano. Esto me incrementó la curiosidad por como las personas aprenden idiomas y por esta razón estudié una Maestría en Lin… Read More