Born to Be Alive – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Patrick Hernandez

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the vibrant energy of "Born to Be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez, a disco hit that encourages you to embrace life and reject conformity. Learn English through its catchy lyrics and experience the joy of living fully, as this song became an international sensation and launched Madonna's early career.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
born /bɔːrn/ A1	adjective - brought into life
alive /əˈlaɪv/ A2	adjective - living, not dead
ask /æsk/ A1	verb - to put a question to someone
find /faɪnd/ A1	verb - to discover or locate something
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular position or location
stop /stɑːp/ A1	verb - to cease moving or operating
settle /ˈsetl/ B1	verb - to establish a home or business
want /wɑːnt/ A1	verb - to have a desire for something
need /niːd/ A1	verb - to require something
justify /ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪ/ B2	verb - to show or prove to be right or reasonable
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - of high quality or pleasing
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence
running /ˈrʌnɪŋ/ A1	verb - the act of moving rapidly on foot
street /striːt/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town
fine /faɪn/ A2	adjective - of high quality
suitcase /ˈsuːtkeɪs/ A2	noun - a rectangular container with a handle for carrying clothes and other personal possessions
guitar /ɡɪˈtɑːr/ A1	noun - a musical instrument with strings
occupy /ˈɒkjupaɪ/ B2	verb - to fill or take up a space or time
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences

Key Grammar Structures

• We were born to be alive

  ➔ Past Simple Passive with infinitive of purpose.

  ➔ The structure 'were born + to be + adjective' indicates that the subject's birth had the specific purpose or destiny of being in that state. "Were born" is the past simple passive form, indicating an action done *to* the subject, not *by* the subject.

• People ask me why I never find a place to stop

  ➔ Indirect question (reported question) and Present Simple tense.

  ➔ "People ask me why..." is an indirect question. Instead of asking "Why do you never find a place to stop?", the statement uses "why I never find" as a clause within the main sentence. The Present Simple "ask" and "find" indicates a habitual action or general truth.

• But I never wanted all those things People need to justify Their lives, lives, lives

  ➔ Relative Clause (defining), Present Simple tense, use of "to justify".

  ➔ "People need to justify their lives" is a relative clause modifying "all those things". 'To justify' here is an infinitive of purpose implying the *need* is *for* the purpose of justifying.

• Time was on my side When I was running down the street

  ➔ Past Continuous tense within a subordinate clause, Past Simple tense in the main clause.

  ➔ The main clause is "Time was on my side" (Past Simple). The subordinate clause is "When I was running down the street" (Past Continuous), describing an action in progress in the past, while the main action (time being on his side) occurred. The 'when' connects the actions.

• It was so fine, fine, fine

  ➔ Simple Past tense with Adjective, Repetition for emphasis.

  ➔ "It was so fine" uses the simple past to describe a state of being in the past. The repetition of "fine" emphasizes the degree to which the experience was positive. Repetition is a rhetorical device used for emphasis.

• A suitcase and an old guitar And something new to occupy My mind, mind, mind

  ➔ Ellipsis (omission of verb), infinitive of purpose, repetition for emphasis.

  ➔ The implied verb (likely 'had' or 'was') is omitted after the items. 'To occupy' is an infinitive of purpose, expressing the reason for having something new. Repetition of 'mind' again emphasizes the degree.