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 4 Peut-être, please click on this link to follow this lesson in song from the beginning.

 Let's get started!

🎶 France Gall - Si Maman Si (1977)

In this song, France Gall talks to her mother. She tells her about her life, with its ups and downs. France Gall is not very optimistic about her future. As she says, it remains grey. You get the impression that the fact that her friends have left has left a big void in her life.

The expression interesting is: "Le bonheur passera peut-être sans que je sache le reconnaître" [lə bɔnœɾ pasəɾa pøt‿-ɛtɾ sɑ̃ kə ʒə saʃ lə ɾəkɔnɛtɾ]. It means: "Happiness may pass without me knowing it". There is a grammar structure interesting here: "sans que je sache". It's one of the use of subjunctive present tense of "savoir" ("to know")

🎶 France Gall - Il Jouait du Piano Debout (1980)

This other France Gall song, Il jouait du piano debout, is a reference to her husband Michel Berger, also a singer and musician, who played the piano standing up because it was his way of being himself, free to make music.

The expression is: "C'est peut-être un détail pour vous" [sɛ pøt‿-ɛtɾ œ̃ detaj puɾ vu] (It may be a detail for you). She explains that this is what she loves about her husband, his personality, wanting to fulfil his dreams and live for his music, free.

🎶 Louane - Donne-moi ton Coeur (2020)

In this song Donne-moi ton coeur, Louane expresses a deep desire for emotional intimacy, to understand and be understood.
She invites us to share our innermost thoughts, fears and sorrows, in the hope of creating a genuine connection based on trust and open communication.

The expression is: "C'est peut-être toi que je suis, des fois" [sɛ pøt‿-ɛtɾə twa kə ʒə sɥi,de fwa] (Maybe you're the one I follow sometimes)

🎶 Angèle - Oui ou Non (2018)

This song by Angèle entitled Oui ou non is a song where Angèle wonders if the person she loves wants to commit to a relationship. She has the impression that for a one-night stand it's yes, but when it's for something serious, she has the impression that it's no, despite the lies. Angèle is obviously attached to him and wants to believe these lies, that she's the most beautiful woman in his eyes, and so on. You could say that words do not follow actions.

The use case of "peut-être" here is: "Je veux savoir ce que t'en dis quand j'souris trop fort. C'est faux peut-être." [ʒə vø savwaɾ sə kə tɑ̃ di kɑ̃ ʒsuɾi tɾo fɔɾ. sɛ fo pøt‿-ɛtɾə] (I want to know what you say when I smile too loud. Maybe it's not true.)

That's it for the second part of this episode. Tell me in the comments what you think about this series. Would you like more of these? Have you a favourite singer or a song you love that you want me to introduce in the next episodes, feel free to let me know by writing a comment below.

Thank you for reading this post until the end. See you next Monday for a new episode. In the meantime, 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.