Back It Up – English Lyrics

• By: Prince Royce, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant world of "Back It Up" by Prince Royce, Jennifer Lopez, and Pitbull! This track is a fantastic entry point for language learners, offering a blend of English and Spanish lyrics (in its Spanglish version). Its catchy, dance-hall inspired beat and clear vocal delivery make it easy to follow along, pick up new vocabulary, and immerse yourself in the energetic rhythm of contemporary Latin-influenced pop music.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
boyfriend /ˈbɔɪˌfrɛnd/ A2	noun - a male partner in a romantic relationship
body /ˈbɑːdi/ A1	noun - the physical structure of a person or animal
dancehall /ˈdænsˌhɔːl/ B2	noun - a genre of Jamaican popular music and a style of dance
real /ˈriːəl/ A1	adjective - genuine; not fake
cool /kuːl/ A1	adjective - fashionably attractive or impressive
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - to feel deep affection for someone noun - deep affection or strong liking
drop /drɒp/ A2	verb - to let something fall noun - a sudden fall or a small amount
bounce /baʊns/ B1	verb - to rebound off a surface noun - a rapid upward movement
sexy /ˈsɛksi/ B1	adjective - sexually attractive
fire /ˈfaɪə(r)/ A1	noun - combustion that gives heat and light verb - to discharge a weapon or ignite something
ride /raɪd/ A2	verb - to sit on and travel on a vehicle or animal noun - a journey on a vehicle
push /pʊʃ/ A1	verb - to exert force on something to move it away
booty /ˈbuːti/ B1	noun - the buttocks; a person's rear end
move /muːv/ A1	verb - to change position or go from one place to another noun - an act of moving; a change of place
grind /ɡraɪnd/ B2	verb - to crush or reduce to small particles by friction noun - the act of grinding; a repetitive motion
roll /roʊl/ A2	verb - to turn over and over on a surface noun - a cylindrical piece; a rolling motion
world /wɜːld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries and peoples
advice /ədˈvaɪs/ B1	noun - guidance or recommendations offered regarding prudent action
happy /ˈhæpi/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing pleasure and contentment
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the existence of an individual human being or animal
turn /tɜːn/ A1	verb - to move so as to face a different direction noun - an act of rotating or a change in direction

Key Grammar Structures

• What's up, baby?

  ➔ informal interrogative with contraction

  ➔ The phrase "What's up" is a shortened form of "What is up" used as a casual greeting.

• Ain't nothing fake on you

  ➔ double negative (negative concord) in colloquial English

  ➔ The word "Ain't" is a contraction of "is not" and together with "nothing" creates a double negative, which in informal speech means "there is nothing fake on you".

• Try playing cool but can't help how I feel

  ➔ imperative + gerund; modal verb "can't help" + noun clause

  ➔ The verb "Try" is an imperative urging the listener to "playing" (gerund) cool. "Can't help" is a modal phrase meaning "unable to refrain from" followed by the noun clause "how I feel".

• I love it when you drop it down

  ➔ zero conditional clause "when + present simple"

  ➔ The structure "when you drop it down" uses the present simple after "when" to express a habitual or generally true situation that the speaker loves.

• You can go anywhere in the world

  ➔ modal verb "can" + bare infinitive

  ➔ "Can" expresses ability or permission. It is followed directly by the base form of the verb "go" without "to".

• Don't look for what you don't want to find

  ➔ negative imperative; relative clause with double negative

  ➔ "Don't" is the negative form of the imperative "look". The clause "what you don't want to find" is a relative clause where "don't" appears twice, creating a double negative that still conveys a negative meaning.

• But before your boyfriend finds out

  ➔ subordinate clause with present simple after "before"

  ➔ "Before" introduces a time clause. In English, the verb in a time clause after "before" is usually in the present simple, even if the main clause refers to the future.

• Dámelo, papi chulo

  ➔ imperative verb in Spanish (command) with direct object pronoun

  ➔ "Dámelo" combines the verb "dar" (to give) in the imperative "da" with the clitic pronouns "me" (to me) and "lo" (it), meaning "Give it to me!".