French language and culture – remembering New Year’s Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jan 1, 2019 in Culture, Music, Vocabulary
Bonne Année 2019! Happy New Year! Le jour de l’an (New Year’s Day)* is a time for looking ahead and for looking back. And looking back over the last year got me thinking about the related vocabulary of memories.
Like English, French has multiple words for remembering. For the most part, they mean the same thing, and while they do have a grammatical difference, it’s a difference that seems to be less and less observed.
| Français | English |
| se rappeler | to recall |
| se souvenir de | to remember |
| un souvenir | a memory |
That differences? It’s that little de … Correct usage includes it with se souvenir de but not with se rappeler … though in actual use you are seeing more and more examples of se rappeler de … just remember that it is technically wrong!
Here is a song all about memories from the Québecois singer Roch Voisine featured on the French TV talk show C à vous.
| Tout me ramène à toi (x2) | Everything brings me back to you (x2) |
| Tout, tout le temps | Everything, all the time |
| Il y a^ des jours qui sont passés | There are days that have gone by |
| Il y a des nuits qui ont brûlé | There are nights that burned |
| Il y a des mois, des années | Months ago, years |
| Il y a de l’eau qui a coulé | There is water that flowed |
| Des ciels^^ qui ont changé | Skies that changed |
| Il y a des mois, des années | Months ago, years |
| Mais il y a toujours une chanson | But there is still a song |
| Un parfum dans la maison | A scent in the house |
| Toujours ce que tu préfères | Always whatever you like |
| Dans l’air… | In the air … |
| Appelle-moi encore de temps en temps | Call me again from time to time |
| Rappelle-toi comme on était vivants | Remember how alive we were |
| Appelle-moi, ça me ferait plaisir | Call me, that would make me happy |
| Souviens-toi des plus beaux souvenirs | Remember the best memories |
| Tout me ramène à toi (x2) | Everything brings me back to you (x2) |
| Tout, tout le temps | Everything, all the time |
| Il y a des fronts qui ont soufflé | There are fronts that have blown |
| Du sable qui a volé | Sand that has flown |
| Il y a de ça, des années | So many years aga |
| Il y a des pages qu’on a tournées | There are pages that we have turned |
| Des routes qu’on a tracées | Roads that we have traced |
| Il y a de ça, des années | So many years ago |
| Mais il y a toujours une chanson | But there is still a song |
| Un parfum dans la maison | A scent in the house |
| Toujours ce que tu préfères | Always whatever you like |
| Dans l’air… | In the air … |
| Appelle-moi encore de temps en temps | Call me again from time to time |
| Rappelle-toi comme on était vivants | Remember how alive we were |
| Appelle-moi, ça me ferait plaisir | Call me, that would make me happy |
| Souviens-toi des plus beaux souvenirs | Remember the best memories |
^ Il y a is one of those great French phrases that show up everywhere. It can mean “there is” or “there are” (but don’t confuse it with voilà). This song includes one of my favorite uses in the expression “Il y a de ça, des années”. You could just say “il y a des années” but by adding the ‘de ça’ you reinforce the distance from the now, making ‘il y a de ça, des années” more nostalgic than just “il y a des années”
^^ In religion (and astronomy) you will see ciel pluralized as cieux (the heavens).
* Not to be confused with le Saint-Sylvestre which is New Year’s Eve.
Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels [CC0]
Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.
About the Author: Tim Hildreth
Since my first trip to France at 16, I have been a passionate francophile. I love the language, food, music, art, people, and more that make France and la Francophonie in general such an amazing part of our global community. Having lived in France and studied the language and culture for over 35 years, it is my great pleasure to be able to share a little bit of my deep love with you through this blog.