Listening to songs in the language you’re learning is an effective and enjoyable way to practise your language skills. It can help improve your listening comprehension and your pronunciation, and on top of this, music is catchy! When you listen to French songs, you might find that the new words, phrases, and structures stick in your mind more easily, making it simpler to use them in your own speaking or writing.
But there are thousands of songs throughout the French-speaking world—where do you start with finding ones that will help you practise your French? In this article, we’ve done the hard work for you! Read on to discover our ten recommended songs for learning French.
1. À la claire fontaine – traditional French song
We’ll start our list of French songs for learners with one that may be the first that many French children have ever heard. À la claire fontaine is a very well-known traditional French song. This classic nursery rhyme is thought to date back to the early 17th Century when it was sung both in France and in what was later to become Quebec, as French settlers were arriving in Canada.
To make the most of your language learning using music, you must listen to the song a few times without looking at the lyrics and then add the lyrics in! À la claire fontaine is very useful for French learners, as it contains many different verb tenses, including the passé composé, the imperfect, the future and even the imperfect subjunctive – fût in the final verse is the third person singular form of être in the imperfect subjunctive.
We recommend trying to spot all the tenses you know while reading the lyrics. To help you with any comprehension problems, you can also look at an English translation of the text.
LINKS: Lyrics | English translation
2. La mer – Charles Trenet, 1946
We’re sure that many of you will be familiar with this very famous song, originally recorded by Roland Gerbeau in 1945 but made famous by the great Charles Trenet in 1946. Trenet was a very popular French singer-songwriter whose career lasted from the 1930s to the 1990s. Following his recording of La mer, it was translated into many different languages, including, as many of you will know, English (titled Beyond the Sea).
Again, study the lyrics like you would if they were any other reading text: look up new words you don’t know and try to spot specific language points you have been studying. La mer is one of the best French songs for practising adjectives.
Take a moment to consider which adjectives precede the noun and which come after it, and note how the adjectives change depending on whether the noun it’s describing is masculine or feminine and singular or plural. For example, compare ces grands roseaux mouillés and ces maisons rouillées. If you’d like to recap adjective agreement and positioning, join Mark and Anna in Coffee Break French Season 2 Episode 9.
LINKS: Lyrics | English translation
3. Tous les garçons et les filles – Françoise Hardy, 1962
It is generally thought that Françoise Hardy stood out from the crowd among the 1960s French yé-yé pop singers because she wrote her own songs and went on to influence the likes of Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan. She rose straight to the top of the charts at the age of 18 with her first record, Tous les garçons et les filles, which describes a young person watching with envy the couples around her when she has never known love herself. Hardy later recorded the song in Italian (Quelli della mia età) and in English (Find Me a Boy).
And luckily for us, this is one of the French songs in which the vocabulary used isn’t too tricky, so have a listen and see how much you can understand. As always, listen out for examples of the language points you have been learning about. For example, if you are familiar with the word personne, which can mean no one, listen out for the repeated phrase personne ne m’aime no one loves me.
LINKS: Lyrics | English translation
4. Je reviendrai à Montréal – Robert Charlebois, 1976
The fourth song on our list of French songs for learners is Je reviendrai à Montréal, one of the most famous songs by musician, composer, author, and actor Robert Charlebois. Originally from Montreal, Quebec, he is thought to have been hugely influential in the development of music in Quebec and throughout the francophone world. In 1999, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
The lyrics of some of his songs include many, specifically québécois words, which makes them very interesting, but if you try listening to them, don’t worry if you struggle to understand what he is singing about!
However, the lyrics of Je reviendrai à Montréal, are in a much more standard, universal French. Look out for the example of the future tense in the title and repeated throughout the song, je reviendrai, meaning I will come back. There are also several uses of avoir besoin de + infinitive/noun, for example, j’ai besoin de sentir le froid I need to feel the cold and j’ai besoin de cette lumière I need that light and an example of the subjunctive trigger sans que + subjunctive.
To learn more about the subjunctive and other subjunctive triggers, listen to Coffee Break French Season 3 Episode 16.
LINKS: Lyrics | English translation
5. Papaoutai – Stromae, 2013
We’re sure that many of you already know Stromae, a Belgian rapper and singer-songwriter whose songs have been huge successes across much of Europe. Paul Van Haver originally chose Opsmaestro as his stage name but then changed it to Stromae.
This name comes from the word maestro and is an example of verlan, a type of French slang involving swapping around a word’s syllables (mae-stro → stro-mae). His song Papaoutai, Belgium’s best-selling single of 2013, refers to the absence of Stromae’s father during his childhood. The title comes from Papa où t’es ? Dad, where are you?.
The lyrics contain many examples of different verb tenses, the use of the pronouns y and en and many more language points you can look out for. Also, note how the repeated question in the chorus où t’es ? combines tu and es to make t’es, which is very common in informal, spoken French.
LINKS: Lyrics | English translation
6. Et si tu n’existais pas – Joe Dassin, 1975
A true classic when it comes to French songs, Et si tu n’existais pas by Joe Dassin is a poetic love song. Released in 1975, this music is one of Dassin’s most well-known songs. The lyrics explore a world in which the singer’s beloved does not exist.
One of the key grammar points found in this song is the use of si clauses (if clauses) combined with the conditional tense – a fundamental structure in French grammar. In particular, this music features a Type 2 si clause, which follows this pattern:
- Et si tu n’existais pas, dis-moi pourquoi j’existerais ? And if you didn’t exist, tell me why I would exist?
LINKS: Lyrics | English translation
7. J’irai où tu iras – Céline Dion, 1995
If you’re looking for French songs that beautifully showcase the future tense and the conditional, J’irai où tu iras is a perfect choice. This upbeat and emotional duet was released in 1995 on Céline Dion’s album D’eux, which remains the best-selling French-language album of all time.
The title itself, J’irai où tu iras I will go where you will go, gives us a great example of the future tense in French j’irai I will go and how it is used to express determination and certainty about the future. Throughout the song, the singers talk about following each other wherever life takes them, using different conjugations of the future tense (je ferai, tu verras) and the conditional (je voudrais, tu aimerais) to express both certainty and possibilities.
LINKS: Lyrics | English translation
8. Hier Encore – Charles Aznavour, 1964
This 1964 song reflects on the passage of time, lost youth, and past mistakes. Aznavour, one of the most celebrated French singers, is known for his deeply emotional lyrics and expressive storytelling. But beyond its moving message, this is one of the best French songs for learners to practise the contrast between the imparfait and passé composé, two essential past tenses in French.
These two tenses play different roles in French narration, and this song provides a perfect example of how they are used in real-life contexts.
LINKS: Lyrics | English translation
9. Je te promets – Johnny Hallyday, 1986
Johnny Hallyday, often referred to as the French Elvis, was a legendary rock star in France with a career spanning over five decades. Je te promets is one of his most beloved songs. Its romantic lyrics are filled with promises for the future, making it one of the best French songs for learners to study the future simple tense in action.
Throughout the lyrics, Johnny Hallyday makes various promises about what will happen in the future, using the futur simple tense. Here are some examples from the song:
- Je te promets des histoires différentes des autres. I promise you stories different from others
- Je te promets du feu à la place des armes. I promise you fire instead of weapons.
LINKS: Lyrics | English translation
10. Francis – Cœur de Pirate, 2008
Finally, on our list of French songs is one to help you master negation in French. Francis by Cœur de Pirate is a perfect choice. Released in 2008 as part of her debut album, this song showcases Béatrice Martin’s signature melancholic storytelling and delicate piano melodies.
One of the most interesting aspects of the lyrics is how they feature different forms of negation, offering learners a chance to hear how negation is used in French. The song uses ne… plus no longer and ne… jamais never instead of the typical ne… pas not, providing a more nuanced way to express negation beyond the basics.
LINKS: Lyrics | English translation
And there you have it – ten fantastic French songs that will not only introduce you to a variety of musical styles, but also help you improve your vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. By listening to these songs, reading the lyrics, and singing along, you can boost your comprehension skills while enjoying some of the best music the francophone world offers. So why not start incorporating French songs into your language-learning routine today?
If you would like to see some French movies to help you improve your learning routine even further, check out the article we prepared with eight great suggestions!
