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'd like to see our series from the beginning, click on this link.
Nothing else, so let's get started with today's word which is "Peut-être". This is the first part by the way. The last part will be published next monday.
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Peut-être (pøt‿-ɛtɾ)* is the word we use to say "maybe". As you can see, this verb is really important in French and may be a difficulty for you to understand the right meaning in a particular context.
* This is the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) so that you can read with the right prononciation. If you don't know the IPA for French pronounciation. I recommand you to take a look at this website for learning it.
That's being said, let's look at some examples used in French songs.
🎶 Joe Dassin - Salut Les Amoureux (1972)
In this magnificent song Salut les amoureux, Joe Dassin tells the story of a couple who break up. He explains that you can love someone, but living with that person every day can be different. Routine gives way to boredom and it seems that by the time they say goodbye, he and she feel a little nostalgic for their past. Joe, on the other hand, is okay to hold on to the good memories and move on.
The expression: "Demain peut-être ou même ce soir" [dəmɛ̃ pøt‿-ɛtɾ u mɛmə sə swaɾ] (Tomorrow perhaps or even tonight) is used in the context where they would tell themselves sooner or later that maybe their story isn't over, that all is not lost. It's this feeling of nostalgia that I explained above that stands out here.
🎶Christophe - Succès Fou (1983)
In the song Succès fou, Christophe talks about his great success with girls. Having charm makes all the difference with women.
The expression is : "Elle reviendra ou peut-être qu'elle me téléphonera" [ɛl ɾəvjɑ̃dɾa u pøt‿-ɛtɾ kɛl mə telefɔnəɾa] which means "She'll come back or maybe she'll phone me". We can notice the future tense used here, and this even this not certain that she will call him on the phone.
🎶 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 : "Toi, tu n'as pas changé, la coiffure peut-être" [twa, ty na pa ʃɑ̃ʒe, la kwafyɾ pøt‿-ɛtɾ] (You haven't changed, except for your hairstyle perhaps). In other words, she's the same person she was when they were together, same physical appearance except for her hairstyle.
🎶 Jean-Jacques Goldman ft Sirima - Là-bas (1987)
The firt song is called Là-bas, which means "Over there", is a duet by Jean-Jacques Goldman and Sirima. This song relates about a dream of Jean-Jacques would like to live over there. We don't know where it is exactly, but what we know there is freedom there. She doesn't want him to go there, but he no longer wants to stay here. He feels like he needs to leave the place he lives, whether it's with her or not.
The expression is: "Je te perdrai peut-être là-bas (là-bas)" [ʒə tə pɛɾdɾe pøt‿-ɛtɾ la-ba (la-bas)] (I may lose you there (there)).
🎶Tal - Le Sens De La Vie (2012)
In her song Le sens de la vie, Tal (now also known as Taloula) tells her own story as a singer. She always dreamed of becoming a singer and she succeeded. She finally found the meaning of life, doing things with love, that's what makes our ambition fascinating, as she said. It's a beautiful message of hope for all the people who work hard to make their dream come true. Despite the obstacles that will stand in your way, if you believe in yourself and your dream, there's always a twinkling star to guide you along the path of your dreams. If you believe hard enough, then a new day will dawn.
The expression is: "C'est peut-être lui qui rend notre ambition fascinante" [sɛ pøt‿-ɛtɾ lɥi ki ɾɑ̃ nɔtɾ ɑ̃bisjõ fassinɑ̃t] (Perhaps that's what makes our ambition so fascinating) "Lui" refers to "love". Indeed, as I said before, if you do things with a bit of love, your ambition will get fascinating. I see this like a fuel to help you keep going on, despites the difficulties involved throught this amazing journey.
We've come to the end of the first part of episode 4 Peut-être. I'll be publishing the second part next Monday. 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 next Monday for the rest 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.