Learn French with a song by Aya Nakamura. 29 words in 10 seconds, how much can you understand? Transcribe and test your listening skills with us
Learn French with a song snippet! This clip is from Aya Nakamura’s “40%”. We do not own the rights to this song, nor do we pretend to own them. Listen to this sample and transcribe what you hear. Find the full song here.
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.
This is so sweet
This clip, like the others in “40%” is loaded with slang expressions. And. I. Love. It.
I basically need to look up everything in this clip, and really I’m grateful for her own English lyrics on her Youtube music video. I can only assume that’s what she really meant, so that’s always better than random Googling. Though the pay offs from the Googling are welcome.
With this clip, we get 29 words, each line is packed with at least 1 or 2 expressions that seem like slang. These are not your typical grammatical, rule-abiding expressions you’ll see in a French textbook. And that’s the beauty of language, especially in verse.
I’m coming at this without knowing the rules. I believe poets and lyricists like Aya Nakamura often understand the rules. And because they know the rules, every choice they make is a conscious one that makes their use and bending that much sweeter.
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.
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?
Tu fais la gueule, arrête-moi ça (ça)
C’était qu’un jeu, redescends (ah-ah)
Mais mon Dieu que c’est doux, wallah j’le mène à bout
Il est piqué, c’est pas compliqué
You’re being moody, stop that
That was just a game, don’t get ahead of yourself
But oh my God this is so sweet, yeah I’m driving him mad
He is stunned, that’s not complicated
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 “que c’est doux” mean?
“Que c’est doux” is a French phrase that can be translated to “How sweet it is” or “How lovely it is” in English.
It is an expression of admiration or appreciation, usually used to describe something that is pleasing or delightful. “doux” is an adjective that means “soft” or “mild”, but in this context it’s used to express an emotional feeling, such as a feeling of pleasure or enjoyment.
For example:
- “Regarder les enfants jouer, que c’est doux” which means “Watching the children play, how lovely it is”
- “Sentir l’odeur de la pluie, que c’est doux” which means “Feeling the smell of the rain, how sweet it is”
It is used to express appreciation of something pleasant, beautiful or satisfying.
What words did I look up in this snippet?
Find keywords for this snippet below
Tu fais la gueule
wallah
j’le mène à bout
il est piqué
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