Plus Tard in English
Reviewed/Translated by John Elkhoury
COMPREHENSION DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM
[Bigflo’s Verse]
Bigflo et Oli
Bigflo and Oli
Tu connais, non ?
You know them, right?
Quand j’étais petit,
When I was young
Je pensais qu’en louchant trop
I thought that squinting a lot
Je pouvais me bloquer les yeux
I could get my eyes stuck shut
Que les cils sur mes joues
That the eyelashes on my cheeks
Avaient le pouvoir d’exaucer les vœux
Had the power to carry out my wishes
Quand j’étais petit, je pensais que les adultes disaient toujours vrai
When I was young I thought that adults had always told the truth
Et la nuit dans la voiture
And the night in the car
J’pensais que la lune me suivait
I thought that the moon was following me
[Bridge]
Mais depuis qu’est-ce qui a changé ?
But since then what has changed?
Pas grand chose
Not much
Je n’ai pas rangé les questions que je me pose
I have not put away the questions that I ask myself
Qu’est-ce qui a changé ?
But since then what has changed?
Pas grand chose
Not much
Je n’ai pas rangé les questions que je me pose
I have not put away the questions that I ask myself
[Chorus]
On m’disait
One would tell me
Tu comprendras plus tard [x3]
You’ll understand later [x3]
Mais on est plus tard et je comprends pas
But we’re older now and I don’t understand
Tu comprendras plus tard [x3]
You’ll understand later [x3]
Mais on est plus tard et je comprends pas
But we’re older now and I don’t understand
[Oli’s Verse]
Quand j’étais petit,
When I was young,
J’entendais un monstre qui vivait sous ma maison
I heard a monster who was living under my house
Je pensais mourir dans la lave
I thought I would die in lava
Si je marchais pas sur le passage piéton
If I had not walked in the crosswalk
Qu’à l’époque des photos en noir et blanc
That in the time of black and white photos
Les gens vivaient sans couleur
People lived without color
J’étais sûr qu’un bisou de ma mère
I was sure that a kiss from my mother
Pouvait soigner la douleur
Could have healed the pain
[Bridge]
Mais depuis qu’est-ce qui a changé ?
But since then what has changed?
Pas grand chose
Not much
Je n’ai pas rangé les questions que je me pose
I have not put away the questions that I ask myself
Qu’est-ce qui a changé ?
But since then what has changed?
Pas grand chose
Not much
Je n’ai pas rangé les questions que je me pose
I have not put away the questions that I ask myself
[Chorus]
On m’disait
One would tell me
Tu comprendras plus tard [x3]
You’ll understand later [x3]
Mais on est plus tard et je comprends pas
But we’re older now and I don’t understand
Tu comprendras plus tard [x3]
You’ll understand later [x3]
Mais on est plus tard et je comprends pas
But we’re older now and I don’t understand
[Bigflo and Oli]
Aujourd’hui, en grattant un ticket
Today, while scratching a lotto ticket
Je me vois millionnaire
I see myself as a millionaire
Je me dis tout ira mieux
I tell myself everything will be better
Si je souris à la banquière
If I smile at the banker
Aujourd’hui, je me dis que si j’attends
Today, I tell myself if I wait
Quelqu’un fera ma vaisselle
Somebody will do my dishes
Et que même si je vieillis
And even though I’m getting older
Mes parents sont immortels
My parents are immortal
[Bridge]
Qu’est-ce qui a changé ?
What has changed?
Pas grand chose
Not much
Je n’ai pas rangé les questions que je me pose
I have not put away the questions that I ask myself
Qu’est-ce qui a changé ?
What has changed?
Pas grand chose
Not much
Je n’ai pas rangé les questions que je me pose
I have not put away the questions that I ask myself
[Chorus]
On m’disait
One would tell me
Tu comprendras plus tard [x3]
You’ll understand later [x3]
Mais on est plus tard et je comprends pas
But we’re older now and I don’t understand
Tu comprendras plus tard [x3]
You’ll understand later [x3]
Mais on est plus tard et je comprends pas
But we’re older now and I don’t understand
[Outro]
Plus tard, plus tard, plus tard, plus tard [x4]
Later, later, later, later [x4]
Music Analysis
This Bigflo et Oli song is awesome for French learners for two reasons. First off, the singing is slow enough that you can sing along and really improve your pronunciation. And secondly, there are a ton of useful phrases in this song that I wanted to take a quick second to highlight.
The song uses the imparfait a lot when talking about the past. For example, quand j’étais pétit is a super useful phrase for any French learner. Check out my article if you need help learning the imperfect tense.
The song also uses the simple future tense (je fera ma vaisselle), and you can learn more about the French future tense here.
Those are the lyrics of Plus Tard translated from French to English and my breakdown.
Visit our French music portal if you would like more translated music by Bigflo et Oli or even Top French music lists.
Merci beaucoup! Very useful material for learning French.