Art & Culture

Unveiling the History, Translation, and Meaning Serge Gainsbourg, the legendary French singer-songwriter, has left an indelible mark on the world of music with his unique… Read More

Paris may not go all out for the infamous Irish holiday like Dublin or New York… Read More

Have you ever wondered what's typically French? (and weird) Read all about the 10 things the French do that foreigners don’t understand. Read More

Whilst Emily in Paris (which I only recently discovered ought to be pronounced Emilee in Paree) is certainly an entertaining watch, and a very surprising… Read More

What are the best French singers to listen to in 2021? Read our list of our top 7 French singers. Find out who they are!… Read More

For the holiday season, we at Babylangues thought we would present ‘Douce Nuit’, a French version of the carol ‘Silent Night’. Read More

France Gall was a French yé-yé singer - a style of pop music that emerged from Southern Europe and was popular at the beginning of… Read More

         This month’s song is Sacré Charlemagne by France Gall:  It is mostly believed that Charlemagne basically invented school in the middle ages, and then over… Read More

“Comme d'habitude ” is one of France's most famous songs in history. Released in 1967, Comme d'habitude, French for "As usual" was produced by Claude… Read More

French tradition – DUNKIRK CARNIVAL Dunkirk is a small commune in the northernmost tip of France and is very close to the Belgian border. Deriving… Read More

Carnaval de Nice The Carnaval de Nice is a very special time in the city’s calendar! Nice is a lovely city on the French riviera. Read More

“C’est si bon” – yves montand “C’est si bon” by Yves Montand is one of the most famous French love songs. It… Read More

"Champs-Élysées" is one of Joe Dassin's biggest hits and it was released in 1969. It is essentially what it says on the tin, a song… Read More

We’ve presented songs by Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour and Edith Piaf, all great French musical legends. Let’s add another to the list! This month we’ll… Read More

The legendary Charles Aznavour gives us this time's song of the month "Non je n'ai rien oublié". Read More

‘Une femme’ is a story about a woman and her relationship with her mother. It is all the more moving because of its autobiographical nature. Read More

‘La Seine’ was released in 2011 as part of the soundtrack for the film ‘Un Monstre à Paris’. Its vocalists are the lovely Vanessa Paradis… Read More

'Le tour du monde en 80 jours' by Jule Verne describes the story of how an English gentleman bets that he can travel around the… Read More

'La Délicatesse', by French author and screenwriter, David Foenkinos, tells the story of a widow who finds love in the most unlikely of places. Read More

‘Tous Les Mêmes’ is an electro-pop song and was produced by Belgian artist, Stromae. It was released in 2013 and proved to be a major… Read More

'Vol 1618', by French author, Betrand Puard, was published in 2014 and is a mysterious novel that will grip you and get your adrenaline pumping… Read More

‘La Vie en Rose’ is a classic French song by Edith Piaf that encourages us to look at life through a cheerful lense! The song… Read More

'Hygiène de l'assassin', by Amélie Nothomb, was published in 1992. The novel is a fast and absorbing read that will keep you glued to the… Read More

‘Avant La Haine’ is a heart-breaking love song by Alex Beaupain and Camélia Jordana. It proved to be a major hit when it was released… Read More

'Exercises de Style', by French author Raymond Queneau, is an amusing collection of retellings of the same story, each in a different style. Read More

This 2001 version of "La Complainte de la Butte" by Rufus Wainwright is a favourite of the Babylangues team. This moving love song will really… Read More

Le Liseur du 6h27 (The Reader on the 6:27) is the first novel by French author Jean-Paul Didierlaurent. In this charming Parisian microadventure, we follow… Read More

Soulman is the second track on the eponymous album by Ben l’Oncle Soul. It’s a simple, catchy song about Ben declaring himself as a ‘soulman’. Read More

Gainsbourg's dark, dramatic song Initials B.B. recalls his passionate, short-lived affair with 60s beauty icon Brigitte Bardot. Read More

François Ozon’s 2010 film Potiche is an amusing and elegantly told story of a woman and her fight to shake off the role that society,… Read More

Cahier d’un retour au pays natal (1939), the most famous work of Martinican poet and politician, Aimé Césaire, is a masterful piece of writing which… Read More

Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 film Le Mépris was one of the first cinematic works to focus on the beauty of the filmmaking process itself, and not… Read More

This month, although remaining in French territory, we move far beyond the modern day l’Hexagone, to trace the shocking history that binds France to lands… Read More

The song ‘Le Tourbillon de la vie’, sung by actress Jeanne Moreau in famous Nouvelle Vague film Jules et Jim, tells the story of a… Read More

Coming of age drama Bande de Filles (2014), or Girlhood in English, is a film which explores the idea of existing on the margins, as… Read More

In her 2014 work, Visions de Barbès, author, director and screenwriter Jeanne Labrune tells her own very personal tale of loss and grief. The account… Read More

La Môme (which takes the title La Vie en rose in English), is a 2007 biopic directed by Olivier Dahan, which retraces the life of… Read More

Jacques Brel, born in 1929, was a multitalented artist, working as a poet, composer, actor and director in his lifetime. However, he is best known… Read More

Directed by Philippe Claudel, the 2008 drama Il y a longtemps que je t’aime (I’ve loved you so long in English), is a poignant and… Read More

Emile Zola’s 1867 novel Thérèse Raquin, is, at the same time as being a scandalous tale of adultery and murder, an attempt to produce a… Read More

Jean-Luc Godard’s first feature length film, A bout de souffle, (1960), is a seminal work of the Nouvelle Vague, and a classic example of the… Read More

Robert Desnos’ 1930 collection of poetry, Corps et biens, unites themes and styles from several different literary movements, meaning that while some of the poems… Read More

'Jingle Bells' is one of the most famous Christmas songs of the English speaking world. Its popularity encouraged author and actor, Francis Blanche, to translate… Read More

Author Annie Ernaux’s 1983 work La Place explores her father’s life trajectory, from impoverished child to owner of a small épicerie, charting the social and… Read More

André Breton’s 1928 work Nadja, which is included in Le Monde’s top 100 books of the 20th century, is also a central work of the… Read More

The French singer Monique Andrée Serf, who went by the stage name Barbara, was renowned for her often melancholic songs about memories of lost lovers… Read More

Les Quatre Cents Coups (1959), the first - and largely autobiographical - film of famous Nouvelle Vague director François Truffaut, follows the exploits of a… Read More

The debut novel of Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary (1856) soon became notorious in contemporary French society for its supposedly scandalous content, and was the subject… Read More

The novel ‘La Naissance du Jour’ (Break of Day) by French writer Colette is a favourite in the Babylangues office as an example of feminist… Read More

The novel 'Bonjour tristesse' follows its teenage protagonist, Cécile, through the fateful weeks which mark the end of her childhood and the beginning of her… Read More

This month, we thought that we would choose a song which might capture the feeling of French autumn in a musical form. Read More

This week, we invite you to take a tour of Paris through the eyes of acclaimed French director Agnès Varda. Read More

In Chronique de la dérive douce, Haitian-born author Dany Laferrière recounts the events and experiences of his first year in Montreal after escaping the dictatorial… Read More

For this month's French song of the month we look at a traditional French nursery rhyme. This is typically sung in the playground and practically… Read More

Here are some great classic French films about or based around school in France to get you in the mood for la rentrée this September. Read More

This 1977 hit by Renaud cemented the introduction of verlan, or French slang, into mainstream popular culture. This showed a mark in the acceptance of… Read More

As the month of July is so often spent by the sea, what could be a more appropriate song for the month of July than… Read More

This month we have chosen the song 'Mon coeur, mon amour', a French pop classic by Anaïs from the early millennium. The video takes place… Read More

This song is Serge Gainsbourg’s take on the French National Anthem. The title is taken from the first line of the chorus in the national… Read More

This month, somewhat fitting with our Easter theme, we have chosen the song ‘Un Lapin’ sung by French icon Chantal Goya. Read More

Get to grips with some colloquial language with this humorous song by up-and-coming French singer, Charlotte Chante Charlotte! … Read More

En relisant ta lettre lyrics - This is our French song selection for the month of January. Listen to the lyrics of this song to… Read More

This month we have chosen the French song "Petit Papa Noël". Read More

SONG OF THE MONTH: This month we have chosen the song 'Paris sera toujours Paris'. Read More

Discover the words of a French song to help boost your vocabulary! This month, the beautiful song by Francis Cabrel, ‘Octobre’. Read More

The King of the gardeners, André Le Nôtre is responsible for making the French garden style famous throughout Europe. Read More

Brigitte Bardot is one of the best known sex symbols of the 1950s and 60s. Read More

French writer, famous for his novel Poil de Carotte, which describes his difficult and unfortunate childhood. Read More

Jean-Luc Godard, born 3rd December 1930, is a Franco-Swiss filmmaker and a leading member of the French New Wave movement. Read More

Pierre Desproges was a French humourist, famous for his elaborate, eloquent and most of all, cutting jibes criticising anything and everything: “On peut rire de… Read More