Beautiful Liar – English Lyrics

• By: Beyoncé, Shakira
• Album: B'Day

Lyrics & Translation

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
desire /dɪˈzaɪər/ B2	noun - a strong feeling of wanting something verb (rare in this form, typically as 'to desire') - to strongly want or wish for something
tolerance /ˈtɒl.ər.əns/ B2	noun - the ability to accept or endure something unpleasant
karma /ˈkɑːr.mə/ B2	noun - the idea that good or bad actions influence future events
innocence /ˈɪn.əs.əns/ B2	noun - the state of being not guilty or not having experienced much difficulty
heartbreak /ˈhɑːt.breɪk/ B2	noun - a feeling of great sadness after a relationship ends
scandal /ˈskæn.dəl/ B2	noun - an event or behavior that causes public outrage or shock
truth /truːθ/ A2	noun - something that is true or factual
fight /faɪt/ A2	verb - to use physical force to try to hurt someone
laugh /læf/ A1	verb - to make sounds with your voice while smiling because something is funny
forgive /fərˈɡɪv/ B2	verb - to stop feeling angry or resentful towards someone
live /lɪv/ A2	verb - to be alive or to exist
trust /trʌst/ B1	verb - to believe someone or something is honest or reliable
blame /bleɪm/ B2	verb - to say or think that someone or something is responsible for something bad

Key Grammar Structures

• Nobody likes being played

  ➔ Passive Voice with Gerund

  ➔ Here, "being played" is a gerund phrase in the passive voice. It means that nobody enjoys the act of being manipulated or deceived by someone else. "Being" is used to create a passive form of the gerund "played".

• I know things about him that you wouldn't wanna read about

  ➔ Relative Clause with Conditional 'would'

  ➔ This sentence uses a relative clause ("that you wouldn't wanna read about") to describe the "things" the speaker knows. "Wouldn't wanna" expresses a conditional tense, indicating that it's hypothetical and the other person likely doesn't *want* to know.

• Tell me how you tolerate the things you just found out about

  ➔ Embedded Question/Indirect Question

  ➔ "How you tolerate the things..." is an embedded or indirect question functioning as the object of the verb "tell". Instead of a direct question like "How do you tolerate...?", it is embedded within a statement. Note the word order change (subject-verb instead of verb-subject as in a direct question).

• Why are we the ones who suffer?

  ➔ Question with Relative Clause

  ➔ This is a question that includes a relative clause: "who suffer." The relative clause modifies "the ones," specifying which ones are being discussed. The structure is Question word (Why) + auxiliary verb (are) + subject (we) + subject complement (the ones) + relative clause (who suffer).

• I have to let go

  ➔ Modal Verb 'have to'

  ➔ "Have to" is a modal verb expressing obligation or necessity. It's used here to indicate that the speaker feels compelled to release something or someone.

• Let's not kill the karma

  ➔ Imperative with 'Let's not'

  ➔ "Let's not" is used to form a negative imperative, meaning a suggestion or command *not* to do something. It's a contraction of "Let us not." In this case, it's suggesting they avoid actions that could disrupt the natural balance or consequences (karma).

• It's not worth the drama

  ➔ Impersonal 'It' + 'be' + adjective + 'the' + noun

  ➔ This sentence uses an impersonal "it" to refer to a general situation (starting a fight or holding onto anger). The structure "It's (is) + adjective + the + noun" expresses an opinion or judgment about that situation.

• I walked in on your love scene

  ➔ Phrasal Verb 'walk in on'

  ➔ "Walk in on" is a phrasal verb that means to enter a place unexpectedly and see something, especially something private or secret. It's important to recognize phrasal verbs as single units of meaning, not just separate words.