Parle-moi – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Isabelle Boulay

Lyrics & Translation

[French]

[English]

Je ne sais plus comment te dire

I no longer know how to tell you

Je ne trouve plus les mots

I can't find the words anymore

...

...

Ces mots qui te faisaient rire

These words that made you laugh

Et ceux que tu trouvais beaux

And those you thought were beautiful

...

...

J'ai tant de fois voulu t'écrire

So many times I wanted to write to you

...

...

Et tant de fois courbé le dos

And so many times I bowed my head

Et pour revivre nos souvenirs

And to relive our memories

J'ai même aussi frôlé ta peau

I even brushed against your skin

Oh, dis-moi

Oh, tell me

Regarde-moi

Look at me

Je ne sais plus comment t'aimer

I no longer know how to love you

Ni comment te garder

Nor how to keep you

Parle-moi

Speak to me

Oh, parle-moi

Oh, speak to me

Je ne sais plus pourquoi t'aimer

I no longer know why I love you

Ni pourquoi continuer

Nor why I should go on

Tu es là

You are here

Mais tu es si loin

But you're so far away

De moi

From me

...

...

Je ne sais plus comment poursuivre

I no longer know how to go on

...

...

Cet amour qui n'en est plus

This love that no longer exists

...

...

Je ne sais plus que souffrir

All I know is to suffer

Souffrir autant que j'y ai cru

Suffer as much as I believed in it

Mais je sais qu'il me faut survivre

But I know I must survive

Et avancer un pas de plus

And move one step further

Pour qu'enfin cesse la dérive

So finally the drift will end

Des moments à jamais perdus

Of moments forever lost

...

...

Oh, dis-moi

Oh, tell me

Regarde-moi

Look at me

Je ne sais plus comment t'aimer

I no longer know how to love you

Ni comment te garder

Nor how to keep you

Oh, dis-moi

Oh, tell me

Regarde-moi

Look at me

Il y a la vie dont on rêvait

There is the life we dreamed of

Celle qui commençait

The one that was just beginning

Oh, parle-moi

Oh, speak to me

Parle-moi

Speak to me

Je ne sais plus pourquoi t'aimer

I no longer know why I love you

Ni comment continuer

Nor how to carry on

Oh, dis-moi

Oh, tell me

Oh, dis-moi

Oh, tell me

Dis-moi, si tout est terminé

Tell me, if it's all over

Si je dois m'en aller

If I should go away

Oh, parle-moi

Oh, speak to me

Parle-moi

Speak to me

Regarde-moi

Look at me

Regarde-moi

Look at me

...

...

Regarde-moi

Look at me

Regarde-moi

Look at me

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sais /sɛ/ A1	verb - to know
dire /diʁ/ A1	verb - to say
mots /mo/ A1	noun - words
beaux /bo/ A2	adjective - beautiful
souvenirs /su.və.niʁ/ B1	noun - memories
amour /a.muʁ/ B1	noun - love
souffrir /su.fʁiʁ/ B2	verb - to suffer
survivre /syʁ.vi.vʁ/ B2	verb - to survive
avancer /a.vɑ̃.se/ B2	verb - to move forward
dérive /de.ʁiv/ C1	noun - drift
terminé /tɛʁ.mi.ne/ C1	adjective - finished

Key Grammar Structures

• Je ne sais plus comment te dire

  ➔ Indirect Question with 'comment'

  ➔ The phrase "comment te dire" functions as the object of "sais plus." It's an indirect question meaning 'how to tell you'.

• Ces mots qui te faisaient rire

  ➔ Relative pronoun 'qui' + Imparfait tense

  ➔ "qui" refers back to "mots" (words), and the "Imparfait" ("faisaient rire") describes a repeated or ongoing action in the past: 'the words that used to make you laugh'.

• J'ai tant de fois voulu t'écrire

  ➔ Expression of Quantity "tant de fois" + Passé Composé with 'vouloir'

  ➔ "tant de fois" means 'so many times'. "voulu" is the past participle of "vouloir" (to want) used in the Passé Composé.

• Et pour revivre nos souvenirs, j'ai même aussi frôlé ta peau

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose + adverb 'même' + auxiliary "avoir" with "frôler"

  ➔ "Pour revivre" expresses the purpose. "même aussi" emphasizes the action, translating as 'I even brushed your skin'.

• Ni comment te garder

  ➔ Negative conjunction 'Ni' + Indirect Question with 'comment'

  ➔ "Ni" here means 'nor'. So, the phrase means 'nor how to keep you'.

• Je ne sais plus pourquoi t'aimer

  ➔ Indirect Question with 'pourquoi'

  ➔ "Pourquoi t'aimer" is an indirect question, acting as the object of "sais plus". It means 'why to love you'.

• Ni pourquoi continuer

  ➔ Negative conjunction 'Ni' + Infinitive as a noun/object after 'pourquoi'

  ➔ "Ni" continues the negation. "continuer" acts as a noun here, meaning 'nor why to continue'.

• Tu es là, mais tu es si loin de moi

  ➔ Adverb of degree 'si' + preposition 'de'

  ➔ "si loin de moi" means 'so far from me'. "si" emphasizes the distance, and "de" indicates separation from the speaker.

• Si je dois m'en aller

  ➔ 'Si' clause + 'devoir' + reflexive pronoun + en

  ➔ Conditional 'si' clause indicating a possible scenario. 'devoir' (to have to) indicates obligation. 'm'en aller' means 'to go away, leave', using both the reflexive pronoun 'me' and the adverbial pronoun 'en'. The 'en' replaces a place (implied: 'from here').