Arrepientes means "you regret" and comes from the reflexive verb arrepentirse. Reflexive verbs are a key concept in Spanish where the action reflects back on the subject, making this a great word to learn.
In this classic song, Selena confronts her ex-lover, singing, "Ahora te arrepientes, ya ves" (Now you regret it, you see). This is the powerful turning point where she points out that he's the one left with regret, perfectly capturing the song's defiant and heartbroken tone.
In “Ya Ves,” Selena turns heartbreak into a catchy Tejano anthem bursting with confidence. Singing directly to the ex who “heriste mi corazón,” she reminds him that his unexplained betrayal pushed her away for good. The chorus repeats “ya ves” ("you see") like a playful finger-wag, showing him the proof: she no longer loves him, and he is left with nothing but his wounded pride.
Rather than dwelling on sorrow, Selena flips the script and celebrates her freedom. She admits she once believed in him—“si un día yo en ti creí”—but now realizes he never gave her anything except one big betrayal. The song’s driving rhythm and bold lyrics create an empowering mood that invites listeners to dance while saying “I’m over you!” It is a fun reminder that self-respect shines brighter than any heartache.
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez grew up in Lake Jackson, Texas, fronting her family's band, Selena y Los Dinos, with her brother A.B. writing the songs and playing bass and her sister Suzette on drums. She was raised speaking English, and her father drilled the Spanish lyrics into her phonetically, line by line, years before she was fluent in the language she sold millions of records in.
Tejano was a men's business when she took it over: she won the Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year nine years running from 1987, and Selena Live! took the 1994 Grammy for Best Mexican-American Album. "Como la Flor", from 1992's Entre a Mi Mundo, is the song attached to her name more than any other, and Amor Prohibido (1994) put four singles at number one on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart, among them "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" and "No Me Queda Más". She was shot and killed in Corpus Christi on March 31, 1995, aged 23, by the former president of her fan club. Dreaming of You, the English-language crossover album she had been recording, was released that August and entered the Billboard 200 at number one.