We are all familiar with ¿Cómo se dice…?, “How do you say…”—it’s a very useful phrase when inquiring about the right words to use. Denisse Guererro repeatedly uses a similar phrase, asking the audience ¿Cóme dice?, which also sounds like it might be something like “How does one say?” but in fact this is Spanish for “How does it go?”—she wants the crowd to sing along!

Of course tuve is the preterite yo form tener, so one might be misled to think that the refrain of this tune is “I had, I had.” However, in casual speech on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, tú ve’ is short for tú ves (“you see”), but the uninitiated could easily mistake it for the verb tuve (“I had”). ¿Tú ve’?

Edgar Huerta, keyboardist of Belanova, refers to Joselo of Cafe Tacuba as un cuate. The word comes from the indigenous Nahuatl word coatl, which means “twin.” But Joselo is not Edgar’s gemelo, cuate is known by all Mexicans to refer to a “good buddy,” a “dear friend.”

Have you ever had una sospecha (a suspicion)? Puerto Rico’s Circo explores restless uncertainty and mines a treasure chest of carnivalesque imagery from the world of Santeria, that mix of African deity worship and Catholicism that sprouted after African slaves arrived on the shores of the new world.

Javier (Jay) De La Cueva Rosales is known to many in Mexico by the stage name “Brian Amadeus Moderatto,” under which guise he serves as lead singer of the group Moderatto. Here we find Brian making a guest appearance with Belanova during a live show in Guadalajara, much to the delight of the tapatíos who filled the hall.

In most Spanish dictionaries una yegua is “a mare,” as in “a female horse.” But in Babasónicos’ homeland, Argentina, it can also mean “a sexy thing.” To settle on your own definition of this song’s title, you may just have to watch! (By the way, this is currently one of the hottest bands in Rock en Español.)

Javier Garcia. Keep your ear to the sound system, we’re catching his tunes popping up at downtown lounges and restaurants. Come along for a ride as our man is at the helm of the tranquila bus. This song was Javier’s first release, and garnered gold records in three countries. It’s guaranteed to have you moving “suave, suavecito.”

¡Oye Mamicitas y Papicitos! Forget about the Spanish! Get up off your colas, it’s time to perrear! Turn up the volume and put your hands in the air! Tell ‘em that you’re single (aunque si no!) Stand up right now and muévete that cintura! (You know you want to!)

Yes, Belanova may be a shill for Pizza Hut Mexico, but we are not going to hold that against this fine synth-pop dance trio who came together in 2000 in Guadalajara. How did the band create the name Belanova? An entrevista en español in Enkidu magazine tells all.

The Puerto Rican rockers Circo never do explain what the accidente was exactly, but it doesn’t make this music video any less entertaining to hear. Lead singer Fofé (aka José Luis Abreu, formerly of El Manjar de los Dioses) sounds at times like a latin Robert Smith of the Cure. But maybe it’s the other way around, since Smith is said to be a fan....

An apostador is anyone who makes a wager. Control Machete’s "El Apostador" comes off their album Uno, Dos. This exquisitely animated video backs up the song’s tale of have and have not. It must be your lucky day, because we’re betting that you are going to learn something!

Who is this woman that Marciano Cantero met in Denver one winter evening? (Madonna?) It may have been a temporary affair, but the song it inspired has endured, proving to be one of the Enanitos Verdes’ biggest crowd pleasers, as you can see from this concert footage.

Enanitos Verdes’ album En Vivo was recorded live in Tijuana, Mexico and Phoenix, Arizona (USA). The song "Tu Carcel" was written and first performed by Marco Antonio Solís, so it’s a real crowd pleaser with the Mexican and Mexican-American audiences.

Me Gustaria blends Cuban son, guajira and charanga, accented with a little hip-hop. Javier Garcia “would like” to please your musical palate, give it a listen!

Carlos Eduardo López Ávila, known to most of the world as Jeremías, (his nombre escénico) was born in London, where his parents were studying, but he returned with them to their native Venezuela at the tender age of two. Billboard describes his music, with its blend of trova, pop, salsa and rock as mestizo (which of course usually refers to a person of mixed blood).