Pretty Ugly – English Lyrics

• By: Zara Larsson

Lyrics & Translation

Key Grammar Structures

• Have you ever seen a pretty girl get ugly like this?

  ➔ Present Perfect with "ever" and Causative "get"

  ➔ "Have you ever seen" is used to ask about experiences at any time up to now. "get ugly" uses "get" as a causative verb, meaning "become" or "cause to become" (ugly), often implying a change of state.

• I-I-I-I might throw a fit, make you sick

  ➔ Modal Verb "might" (for possibility) & Causative Verb "make"

  ➔ "might throw": "Might" expresses a possibility or a slight chance that something will happen. "make you sick": "Make" is used here as a causative verb, meaning "to cause someone to feel sick."

• Makeup runnin' down my face

  ➔ Present Participle (Continuous Action/Informal Form)

  ➔ "runnin'": This is an informal, contracted form of "running," which is the present participle of the verb "to run." It describes an ongoing action or state. In this context, it functions as a descriptive element implying a continuous action without an auxiliary verb (like "is" or "was") which is common in song lyrics or informal speech.

• They tell me to be nice, I should know my place

  ➔ Indirect Command/Suggestion ("tell someone to do something") & Modal Verb "should"

  ➔ "tell me to be nice": This structure is used to report or convey a command, request, or suggestion given by someone else. "To be nice" is an infinitive. "should know": "Should" is a modal verb used to give advice, express obligation, or suggest what is appropriate.

• Sometimes a girl don't wanna be well-behaved

  ➔ Informal Contraction "wanna" (want to) & Passive Infinitive

  ➔ "don't wanna be well-behaved": "Wanna" is an informal contraction of "want to." The structure "to be well-behaved" is a passive infinitive, indicating that the subject is the recipient of the action (being behaved by others/society's expectations).

• Everybody's tellin' me to sit there really pretty

  ➔ Present Continuous (Informal) & Adverb "really"

  ➔ "tellin'": Informal contraction of "telling." The structure "is telling" (here, "is tellin'") is the Present Continuous tense, indicating an action happening now or around now. "really pretty": "Really" is an adverb of degree, used to emphasize or intensify the adjective "pretty."

• But I'm feelin' like I wanna cause some trouble in the city tonight

  ➔ Present Continuous (Informal) with "feel like" & "wanna"

  ➔ "feelin' like": Informal contraction of "feeling like." The phrase "feel like" is used to express a desire, inclination, or a sensation that one wants to do something or that something is the case. "wanna cause": "Wanna" is an informal contraction of "want to."

• Not the ladylike, more like crazy-like

  ➔ Comparative Structure with "more like"

  ➔ "more like": This phrase is used to indicate similarity or to describe something as being closer in nature to one thing than another, often in a comparative sense. It's used here to contrast desired behavior (crazy-like) with expected behavior (ladylike).

• Wanna take it too far, ain't afraid tonight

  ➔ Informal Contraction "ain't"

  ➔ "ain't afraid": "Ain't" is an informal, non-standard contraction that can replace "am not," "is not," "are not," "has not," or "have not." In this context, it replaces "am not" or "is not" (depending on the implied subject, but usually "I'm not afraid"). It is generally avoided in formal writing.

• I don't need no alibi

  ➔ Double Negative (Informal/Colloquial)

  ➔ "don't need no": This is an example of a double negative, where two negative words ("don't" and "no") are used in the same clause. While grammatically incorrect in standard English (where "I don't need an alibi" or "I need no alibi" would be standard), it is common in informal, colloquial, or dialectal speech for emphasis.