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 verb which is "Oublier". This is the first part by the way. There a three parts for this episodes. The next part will be published next monday.
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Oublier (ublje)* is the word we use to express the idea of we don't remember something or someone.
* 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.
🎶 Jean-Jacques Goldman - Je Marche Seul (1985)
Je marche seul is a song by Jean-Jacques Goldman. It relates about Jean-Jacques who is walking alone on the streets of the city. He doesn't care of everything. He walks alone freely.
The expression that interests us is: "J'm'enfuis, j'oublie" [ʒmɑ̃fɥi, ʒubljə]. We can translate this expression like : "I run away, I forget". Walking alone helps him to forget his problems and therefore to make a pause and thinking freely.
🎶 Larusso - Tu m'oublieras (1999)
Tu m'oublieras is a song by the female singer Larusso. She is talking about his boybriend who will forget her one day for another women. He'll forget about her, about all they lived together such as their first rendez-vous, their first kiss etc.
That's why, she uses the following sentence : "Tu oublieras tous ces jours, tout ce temps qui n'appartenait qu'à nous" [ty ubljəɾa tu se ʒuɾ, tu sə tɑ̃ ki napaɾtəne ka nu] ("You'll forget all those days, all that time that belonged just to us").
🎶 Joe Dassin - Et l’Amour s’en Va (1977)
Et l'Amour s'en va is song by Joe Dassin. It relates about love relationship. When you live it, it's great, but when she left you, love disappeared. He must have been hurt because of course he didn't want their relationship end. That's why it's difficult for him to move on and try again with another woman since he does not want be hurt again if she lefts him.
The expression that we'll look at is: "L'amour nous oublie, comment l'oublier?" [lamuɾ nuz‿ ubljə, kɔmə lublje?] (Love forgets us, how can we forget it?) In other words, when someone decides to leave you, they bring love with them. On the other hand, the other person can't forget love because it's still in their heart.
🎶 Céline Dion ft Garou - Sous le Vent (2005)
Here is a duet by Celine Dion and Garou. It's "Sous le vent". The story is about a relationship between a man and a woman. They made a pause. They still love to each other, but they need to think about their relationship on their own. The metaphor is setting sail which is related with taking a break. They need to think and setting sail is a good way for taking your mind off things and making a fresh start.
The expression is: "Et si tu crois que je t'oublie, écoute". [ezi ty kɾwa kə ʒə tublj, ekut] ("And if you think I've forgotten you, listen"). She's trying to reassure him. It's not over. She just needs a break, but she's still thinking about him.
🎶 Charles Aznavour - Mes Emmerdes (1976)
Charles Aznavour's song Mes Emmerdes tells the story of his success, but also of the problems he had when he was younger. He simply tells his life with his friends and his loves of yesteryear.
In the expression we are going to study: "En oubliant souvent dans ma course contre le temps mes amis, mes amours, mes emmerdes" [ɑ̃‿ubljɑ̃ suvɑ̃ dɑ̃ ma kuɾs kõtɾə lə tɑ̃ mez‿ami, mez‿amuɾ, mez‿ ɛmɛɾd], Charles explains that he had sometimes to sacrifice his friends and loves because of his carreer. If we tranlate this sentence, we get: "Often forgetting in my race against time my friends, my loves, my troubles".
🎶 Zaz - Si Jamais J'oublie (2015)
Si jamais j'oublie is a song by Zaz in which she asks to be reminded of where she comes from if she ever forgets. I'm not sure, but maybe she's talking about the fact that sometimes we get lost in our daily lives and so we tend to forget where we come from and who we've been in our past. In a way, it's about trying to recapture who you are and keep it simple when you become famous, for example.
Indeed, in our expression, she says : "Si jamais j'oublie, les nuits que j'ai passées, les guitares et les cris" [si ʒame ʒublj,le nɥi kə ʒe pase,le gitaɾ ele kɾi] which means "If I ever forget, the nights I spent, the guitars and the screams".
We've come to the end of the first part of episode 5 Oublier. I'll be publishing the second 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.