Is it possible to learn useful French expressions with songs? Yes, it is! In this series of blog posts called "Best Songs to Learn French (#bstlf on Instagram)", we explain the meaning of everyday French expressions with the help of songs. You will learn French idioms that you should definitely know. We try to make learning French fun and enjoyable for all students, whether they are beginners or have a higher level.

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Besides you'll learn one useful expression in each article we will post in this series, you'll discover many ways of using them in different contexts (songs in this case) so that it will help your brain to remember better due to the repetition and the emotion trigger of the music. Moreover, by listening the whole song, you'll discover many new words and expressions you might understand or even learn. To be able to listen to each song and read the lyrics, you only need to click on each picture. The link will redirect you to YouTube, in a new tab.

If you missed the first part of the episode 5 Oublier, please click on this link to follow this lesson in song from the beginning.

 Let's get started!

🎶 France Gall - Résiste (1981)

France Gall's Résiste is a song that challenges people to choose to do the things they love and that make them happy, rather than following what they're told.
As the expression goes: "Si on t'organise une vie bien dirigée où tu t'oublieras vite" [si õ tɔɾganiz yn vj bjɛ̃ diɾiʒe u ty tubljəɾa vit] which means : "If you're organised into a well-ordered life where you quickly forget yourself".

🎶 Charles Aznavour - Et Pourtant (1963)

In this song Et pourtant, Charles Aznavour says he is going to leave the woman he loves. Despite his love for her, he prefers to leave to meet other women and relive the first stirrings of a new love encounter.

The expression is: "Loin des yeux, loin du coeur, j’oublierai pour toujours" "lwɛ̃ dez‿ jø, lwɛ̃ dy kœɾ, ʒubljəɾe puɾ tuʒuɾ" means "Out of sight, out of mind, I'll forget forever". He thinks that by being far from her, he'll manage to forget her.

🎶 Charles Aznavour - Non Je N'ai Rien Oublié (1971)

In this song Non je n'ai rien oublié, Charles Aznavour says he has forgotten nothing of his love affair with a woman. From the day he met her, to their first date, to his first feelings for her, to the day her father told him not to be together and decided to marry her off to a man with a good financial situation. Charles took it badly and has never really been able to forget her. He would very much like to see her again, if she wants him to, of course.

The expression interesting is the title of this song: "Non je n'ai rien oublié" [nõ ʒə ne ɾjɛ̃n‿ ublje] means: "No, I haven't forgotten anything".

🎶 Vitaa - À Fleur de Toi (2007)

À fleur de toi is a song by Vitaa in which she talks about her inability to forget a man with whom she once had a love affair. Now separated from him, she's trying to forget him by going out with another man, but she can't seem to forget her former boyfriend. She's certainly still in love with him.

The expression: "J'essaye de t'oublier avec un autre" [ʒɛsɛj də tublje avɛk œ̃n‿ otɾ] would be translated like: "I'm trying to forget you with someone else".

🎶 Zaz - Le Long de la Route (2010)

This song by Zaz Le long de la route tells us that we could choose forgiveness and live life more serenely by forgetting the grudges of the past.

The expression is: "On aurait pu choisir le pardon, essayer une autre histoire d'avenir que de vouloir oublier" [õn‿ ɔɾe py ʃwaziɾ lə paɾdõ, ɛs(e)e yn otɾə istwaɾə davəniɾ kə də vulwaɾ ublje] (We could have opted for forgiveness, tried a different story for the future rather than trying to forget.)

🎶 Céline Dion - Je ne vous oublie pas (2005)

In this song, Je ne vous oublie pas, Celine Dion tells her French-speaking fans that she has not forgotten them, even though she is no longer as present as she used to be because of her American tour at this time.

Th expression that interests us is: "Je ne vous oublie pas, non, jamais" [ʒə nə vuz‿ublj pa, nõ, ʒame] that means : "I don't forget you, no, never".

 

We've come to the end of the second part of episode 5 Oublier. I'll be publishing the third and last part in two Mondays' time. Stay tuned ;) Do you have a favourite song or singer that you'd like me to feature in a future episode? If so, don't hesitate to leave a comment below this article. Please note that your email address will not be published, only your name and comment. Thank you for reading this article to the end. See you in two Mondays' time for the next part of this episode. Until then, enjoy learning French with the songs. And remember: "Language learning should ALWAYS be FUN!

 Article written by Mickael. Follow me on Instagram @The French Polyglot to find out when new episodes are published.