J'veux un chien – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: YELLE
• Album: L'Ère du Verseau

Lyrics & Translation

[French]

[English]

J'veux un chien

I want a dog

Quelqu'un qui déconne

Someone who messes around

Qui pense pas qu'à sa pomme

Who doesn't only think about themselves

J'serais la chienne de cet homme

I'd be that man's bitch

Prends-moi bien

Understand me well

Mais pas pour une conne

But not for a fool

Si j'te laisse dans un coin

If I leave you in a corner

C'est la balle que tu m'donnes

It's the ball you're giving me

J'veux un chien

I want a dog

Un animal

An animal

Un ami mâle

A male friend

Quelqu'un de bien

Someone good

J'veux un chien

I want a dog

Un animal

An animal

Qui m'fait du mal

Who hurts me

Mais qui l'fait bien

But does it well

J'veux un compagnon de route

I want a travel buddy

Je sais qu't'en as rien à foutre

I know you don't give a damn

Tu peux tout gâcher d'un coup

You can ruin everything in one go

Tu peux tout gâcher d'un coup

You can ruin everything in one go

J'veux un compagnon de route

I want a travel buddy

Quelqu'un qu'en a rien à foutre

Someone who doesn't give a damn

Qui peut tout lâcher d'un coup

Who can drop everything in one go

Qui peut tout lâcher d'un coup

Who can drop everything in one go

J'veux un chien

I want a dog

Un animal

An animal

Un ami mâle

A male friend

Quelqu'un de bien

Someone good

J'veux un chien

I want a dog

Un ami mâle

A male friend

Un animal

An animal

Qui m'fait du bien

Who makes me feel good

J'veux un compagnon de route

I want a travel buddy

Je sais qu't'en as rien à foutre

I know you don't give a damn

Tu peux tout gâcher d'un coup

You can ruin everything in one go

Tu peux tout gâcher d'un coup

You can ruin everything in one go

J'veux un compagnon de route

I want a travel buddy

Quelqu'un qu'en a rien à foutre

Someone who doesn't give a damn

Qui peut tout lâcher d'un coup

Who can drop everything in one go

Qui peut tout lâcher d'un coup

Who can drop everything in one go

J'veux un compagnon de route

I want a travel buddy

Je sais qu't'en as rien à foutre

I know you don't give a damn

Tu peux tout gâcher d'un coup

You can ruin everything in one go

Tu peux tout gâcher d'un coup

You can ruin everything in one go

J'veux un compagnon de route

I want a travel buddy

Quelqu'un qu'en a rien à foutre

Someone who doesn't give a damn

Qui peut tout lâcher d'un coup

Who can drop everything in one go

Qui peut tout lâcher d'un coup

Who can drop everything in one go

J'veux un chien

I want a dog

Un animal

An animal

Un ami mâle

A male friend

Quelqu'un de bien

Someone good

J'veux un chien

I want a dog

Un animal

An animal

Qui m'fait du mal

Who hurts me

Mais qui l'fait bien

But does it well

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
chien /ʃjɛ̃/ A1	noun - dog
animal /a.ni.mal/ A2	noun - animal
amitié /a.mi.ti.e/ B1	noun - friendship
mal /mal/ A2	noun - bad, harm
route /ʁut/ A2	noun - route, way, path
gâcher /ɡa.ʃe/ B2	verb - to spoil, to mess up
lâcher /la.ʃe/ B2	verb - to let go, to release, to drop
compagnon /kɔ̃.pa.ɲɔ̃/ B1	noun - companion, partner
mâle /mal/ A2	adjective / noun - male, masculine (adjective); male (noun)
bien /bjɛ̃/ A1	adjective / adverb - good, well

Key Grammar Structures

• J'veux un chien

  ➔ Contraction of 'Je veux'

  ➔ 'J'veux' is a colloquial contraction of 'Je veux' (I want). It's very common in spoken French, especially in informal contexts. The apostrophe replaces the missing 'e'.

• Qui pense pas qu'à sa pomme

  ➔ Negative construction with 'ne...que' implied

  ➔ The phrase 'Qui pense pas qu'à sa pomme' literally translates to 'Who doesn't think but only about his apple'. It uses a negative construction ('pas') but implies a restrictive meaning. The implied full sentence could be 'Qui ne pense qu'à sa pomme', meaning 'Who only thinks about himself/herself' (being selfish). 'Sa pomme' is a colloquial expression for 'himself/herself'.

• J'serais la chienne de cet homme

  ➔ Conditional future (future simple in a hypothetical statement)

  ➔ 'J'serais' is the conditional form of the verb 'être' (to be). It expresses a hypothetical situation. The sentence means 'I would be the dog of this man'. This implies a willingness to be submissive or loyal.

• Prends-moi bien

  ➔ Imperative mood (prendre)

  ➔ 'Prends-moi bien' is an imperative sentence, meaning 'Take me well' or 'Treat me well'. It's a command directed to someone.

• Si j'te laisse dans un coin

  ➔ Conditional clause with 'si'

  ➔ This is a conditional clause introduced by 'si' (if). 'Si j'te laisse dans un coin' means 'If I leave you in a corner'. It sets up a condition and the sentence continues with the consequence of that condition in the main clause.

• C'est la balle que tu m'donnes

  ➔ Cleft sentence with 'c'est...que'

  ➔ 'C'est la balle que tu m'donnes' is a cleft sentence, used to emphasize a particular part of the sentence. It literally translates to 'It is the ball that you give me'. It highlights that the 'ball' (in a metaphorical sense, perhaps a chance or an opportunity) is what the other person is giving.

• Qui m'fait du mal

  ➔ Relative pronoun 'qui' as subject

  ➔ 'Qui m'fait du mal' uses the relative pronoun 'qui' as the subject of the verb 'fait'. 'Qui' refers back to the antecedent (e.g., 'un animal') and introduces a relative clause that describes the antecedent. It means 'Who does me harm'.

• Je sais qu't'en as rien à foutre

  ➔ Informal negation with omission of 'ne'

  ➔ In spoken French, the 'ne' part of the negation 'ne...pas' is often dropped, especially in informal contexts. 'Je sais qu't'en as rien à foutre' (instead of 'Je sais que tu n'en as rien à foutre') means 'I know you don't give a damn'. The 'ne' is omitted for brevity and casualness.