« 40% », Quiz 14: j’suis qu’à 40%

The above audio sample and transcription is from Aya Nakamura’s “40%”. Songwriters: Aya Danioko 40% lyrics © Warner Chappell Music France, Soc Sony ATV Allegro Music Publishing France, Blue Sky Publishing, Perspective Productions, Label 67, Universal Music Publishing Group. We do not own the content, we are using it for educational purposes. Listen to the entire song here.

I’m at 40%

This title may sound familiar because we heard it before, way back in Lesson 1.

Back in that lesson we saw Aya translate this as “I’ll brush you off”. Here in the lyrics in English she translates it as “I’ll send you packing”. Could be that we’ve gotten further in the song, he wasn’t taking notice to th e”brush off” and now it’s time to be a bit more firm.

Or it could be that like any great slang, the meaning is most likely in its interpretation. And for any great song lyrics, the meaning is in the artist’s mind. We may never know. While that’s the esoteric thought, the truth is the two different English expressions aren’t all that different.

The clip has a ton of repetition, I like this for figuring out how she says things. While I obviously don’t want to sound like Aya, but it’s fun to try to piece together what she’s saying, and then struggle through what she means.

I’m sure French people argue about what she’s saying in each phrase. My goal is just to be apart of those arguments.

How much of this snippet are you understanding?
What’s your favorite part about this?

I struggle with hearing individual words in English songs, in my native tongue. It takes a couple listens to really get it..

The snippet in English

Find a translation of this snippet here, how much of this did you hear?

The above text from Aya Nakamura’s Youtube channel. Source. Songwriters: Aya Danioko 40% lyrics © Warner Chappell Music France, Soc Sony ATV Allegro Music Publishing France, Blue Sky Publishing, Perspective Productions, Label 67, Universal Music Publishing Group

What does “j’suis qu’à 40%” mean?

“J’suis qu’à 40%” is a colloquial French phrase that could be translated to “I’m only at 40%” in English.

It is an informal way of expressing that someone is at a certain point in a process or task, usually indicating that they haven’t finished yet or they still have a long way to go. The phrase “J’suis qu’à” means “I’m only at” and the number following it represents the percentage of completion. The phrase implies that the person or the task is not finished yet, and they still have a lot to do or complete.

It is not a standard French phrase, it’s a colloquial or informal way of speaking. It’s often used in spoken language, and it’s not used in formal or written language.

For example:

• “J’suis qu’à 40% de mon travail” which means “I’m only at 40% of my work”
• “J’suis qu’à 40% de mon livre” which means “I’m only at 40% of my book”

It is used to indicate that someone is at a certain point in a process or task, usually indicating that they haven’t finished yet or they still have a long way to go, it’s often used in spoken language, and it’s not used in formal or written language.

What words did you look up in this snippet?

“Faut qu’tu cesses” is a French phrase which can be translated to “You need to stop” or “You have to stop” in English.

The phrase “Faut qu’tu” is a colloquial way of saying “Il faut que tu” which means “it’s necessary that you” or “you have to” and “cesses” is the second person singular form of the verb “cesser” which means “to stop” or “to cease” Together the phrase “Faut qu’tu cesses” implies that the speaker is telling the person they are addressing that they need to stop something, it can be interpreted as a command or an advice.

It is a colloquial phrase, and it’s often used in spoken language, and it’s not used in formal or written language.

What did you love about this?

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