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Nursery
Rhymes - How They Help Language Learning
Nursery
rhymes are a great (and fun!) way to learn another language. They provide a
variety of good examples of the language's natural usage, while vocabulary is
kept relatively simple and repeated in a range of combinations. Here are some of
our favourite French nursery rhymes, with English translations side by side:
'Ah!
Vous dirai je maman'
| Ah vous dirai je maman, |
Ah, to you I will say mama, |
| Ce qui cau-se mon tourment! |
This which causes my torment! |
| Papa veut que je raison-ne, |
Dad wants that I reason, |
| Comme un-e grand-e personne, |
Like a big person, |
| Moi je dis que les bonbons, |
Me, I say that sweets |
| Va-lent mieux que la raison. |
(Are) valued better than reason. |
'Le
loup'
| Promenons nous dans les bois, |
Let's go for a walk in the woods, |
| Pendant qui le loup n'y est pas, |
While the wolf is not there, |
| Si le loup y �tait
il nous mangerait, |
If the wolf were there, he would eat us. |
| Loup, y es tu? |
Wolf, are you there? |
| M'entends tu? |
Can you hear me? |
| Que fais tu? |
What are you doing? |
'Cadet Rouselle'
| Cadet Rouselle a trois maisons, |
Cadet Rouselle has three houses, |
| Cadet Rouselle a trois maisons, |
Cadet Rouselle has three houses, |
| Qui n'ont ni poutres ni chevrons, |
Which have neither beams nor rafters, |
| Qui n'ont ni poutres ni chevrons, |
Which have neither beams nor rafters, |
| C'est pour loger les hirondelles, |
They are homes for the swallows, |
| Que direz-vous d'Cadet Rouselle? |
What can you say of Cadet Rouselle? |
| Ah! Ah! Ah! mais vraiment, |
Ah! Ah! Ah! but truly, |
| Cadet Rouselle est bon enfant! |
Cadet Rouselle is (a) good child! |
Further Resources: Listen to a
wide and varied selection of French
children's songs. Continue your French practice with our
bilingual The Little Prince or Winnie-the-Pooh
excerpts.
http://www.optimnem.co.uk
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