petite anglaise

cute overload

16.05.2006 9:05 pmTadpole rearing, Tadpole sings

After two whole weeks in the provinces with mamie and papy, Tadpole has returned, albeit in her French incarnation. Singing songs I have never heard before. Reciting the alphabet, in French. And, somewhat randomly, obsessed with camels.

Over dinner this evening, as I attempted to shovel a forkful of green beans (frozen, bad mummy) into her mouth, she nearly made me fall off my (ikea, child’s) chair when she said:

“Maman, comment on dit dromadaire en anglais?”

a rossignol, a princess and a tower


alphabet city


38 comments

  1. That kid sounds really cute. It’s even cuter since I have no idea what she’s saying so I can make up the dialogue in my head. Like I imagine how she’s singing a song about how cool ninjas are, how they are so much cooler than pirates and stuff like that.

    Ahhhh, those sweet, funny, incredibly perceptive kids!

    homeimprovementninja | 9:33 pm

  2. I had to look up what dromadaire in english was, only to find that it was almost exactly the same word in english - after looking that up in and english dictionary i finally learnt! An arabian camel.

    Who would have thought that a two year old taught me a new french AND english word?

    jenn | 9:42 pm

  3. Majorly adorable!…her little french alphabet takes me back to year seven first ever French lessons, where i just thought i was SO clever for being able to recite that…
    Anyway, Tadpole sounds SO cute and very intelligent:)
    Im living in Paris now too. Yay.

    Love-Maxi:)

    maxi | 9:44 pm

  4. P.s-i have a little blog too, although i cant seem to get the link to work like…uhm…homeimprovementninja…has:D nevermind:P

    maxi | 9:46 pm

  5. What a good on-the-spot stuff, so spontaneous ! It is like she was there. Thanks for this cute moment !

    Thomas | 9:53 pm

  6. I don’t know why (of course it’s Tadpole’s cuteness) but that just makes me smile so much, right the way through! I caught a few words, but could you write them out for us to sing-a-long?!

    Paris Lights | 9:55 pm

  7. Il était une fois une fille d’un roi
    Au cœur plein de tristesse
    Enfermée nuit et jour
    Au sommet d’une tour
    Elle pleurait toujours
    Un jour, prenant son vol
    Un gentil rossignol
    Vint dire à la princesse
    “Je t’apporte l’espoir”
    C’est pour le revoir,
    Qu’elle chante le soir :

    Rossignol, rossignol de mes amours
    Quand ton chant s’élèvera
    Mon chagrin s’envolera
    Et l’amour viendra peut-être
    Ce soir, sous ma fenêtre
    Reviens gentil rossignol

    I think she stops here, and the bit before it has slightly different words in grandma’s version

    Le rossignol revint se poser
    Sur la main de sa belle princesse
    Elle le caressa puis elle l’embrassa
    Et il se transforma
    En un prince charmant
    Qui devint le galant
    De sa jolie maîtresse
    Et c’est pourquoi depuis
    Les filles du pays
    Chantent toutes les nuits :

    Rossignol, rossignol de mes amours
    Dès que minuit sonnera,
    Quand la lune brillera
    Viens chanter sous ma fenêtre

    Rossignol, rossignol de mes amours
    Quand ton chant s’élèvera
    Mon chagrin s’envolera
    Et l’amour viendra peut-être
    Ce soir, sous ma fenêtre
    Reviens gentil rossignol

    petite | 10:10 pm

  8. Despite the fact that the only thing I understood was the alphabet in French, I can make only one conclusion. Your child sounds absolutely adorable!

    nikkiana | 10:11 pm

  9. Delightful! Well, I had no trouble following her through the alphabet in French, but barely understood a word of the song, so thanks for providing the lyrics. I’m très jalouse of her perfect French accent… it pays to teach children to be bilingual when they’re little. My accent is pretty good for an Américaine but I will never be mistaken for a real Française (once a Parisian asked if I was from Quebec, though. I guess that’s something.)

    The Bold Soul | 10:18 pm

  10. OMG - that song is SO adorable! I almost want to direct my french class here so we can listen to the alphabet from a native ;)

    Tadpole is tres cute :)

    Kasey | 11:12 pm

  11. De mieux en mieux! Elle est trop mignonne. Ca fait souvenir de l’epoque ou je me suis occupee de 3 petites francaises a Paris; ca m’a fait tres plaisir de leur apprendre quelques petits mots d’anglais pour qu’elles puissent chanter en 2 langues! Super!

    J’aime bien te lire de temps en temps et je suis contente que tu sois de retour dans le cyberespace!

    Aurore | 11:26 pm

  12. et elle a déjà une ame d’auteur: elle a changé la fin du premier couplet “C’est pour te revoir / Que je chante le soir”

    Thomas | 11:28 pm

  13. Apparently, my first word like that was hippopotamus. It shocked everyone at whatever tender age that I was.

    In class I had a student this week who had a French father and a Norwegian mother. She told of how she had learned bedtime songs in Norwegian (even though she lived in France) and when her classmates referred to the French equivalents she was without a clue. It is almost as if she had missed a generation.

    I sometimes feel like that with respect to US television programs ;-)

    Lost in France | 11:28 pm

  14. Keep an eye on Tadpole… Children begin singing French songs
    and end up telling police about the activities of their parents. And remember that even if you sing songs in French, you are still a “foreigner” in France (no matter how much you wish to become a French).

    Anyways, nice voice, Tadpole has a talent. Maybe if she sang in English some would pay a subscription… but cultural sub-products in French sub-language can only be consumed free of charge ;)

    Uranus | 11:31 pm

  15. A friend of a friend of a friend etc gave me the link to your ‘blogue’ … it’s great to see how fellow ‘expatrié(e)s are getting along.

    My two penneth worth: teach la p’tite Tadpole to sing,for example, ‘A la peche aux moules’- comme ça tu demontre l’tendu de ta connaissance de la culture français :) - or something typiquement english - ‘incy wincy spider’

    Damiel | 12:44 am

  16. I was just thinking of moving to California instead…and then I listened to Tadpole sing that song. Sigh. I’m totally moving to France…I’ve gotta have kids that roll their R’s all cute like that…and stuff.

    Dina | 1:07 am

  17. Interesting - the alphabet en francais has the same tune as in English!

    Richard | 1:11 am

  18. Uranus you are deranged!

    I don’t usually comment here, but she had me smiling from start to finish. She’d be great at karaoke.

    Mike | 1:30 am

  19. Can Pop Idol be far behind? I hear Simon Cowell calling…….

    Dave of the Lake | 1:51 am

  20. is it just me, or is there an immediate jump from “u” to “double-v?” Absolutely precious!

    emily | 2:27 am

  21. Very cute! And dromedary - always a useful word to know! A teacher of Joey’s once told me that she had pointed to a picture of a camel in group time and Joey (then 5 and an animal expert) had piped up with “that’s not a camel, that’s a dromedary”… she then admitted that she didn’t know what a dromedary was and had to look it up!

    I get the alphabet in italian - a language I have only a passing acquaintance with… cappucino, spaghetti, ferrari…

    miss tickle | 2:51 am

  22. I love your cutie tadpole and this site.

    Nazeli | 5:08 am

  23. Hi again!

    Aww this sound blog MADE MY DAY! I listened to the Rossignol a couple of times now while getting dressed, and now I know a Fransh song! *Hums* “Il était une fois une fille d’un roi…” I think this is gonna be an internet-hit!

    /Kajsa


    kajsa Hallberg | 8:04 am

  24. Uranus is as mad as cheese…As mad as cheese I say!

    Trevor | 8:49 am

  25. And Trevor is the benchmark of normality..

    David in London | 10:14 am

  26. Trevor is my benchmark.

    All other men I have met since, I’ve found wanting.

    petite | 11:13 am

  27. Thanks! Wonderful, now we can hear her and it only adds to the charm! I say let’s make Tadpole perform at least monthly.

    Paris Lights | 12:39 am

  28. Jamais entendue d’aussi jolie petite chanson :)) Un gros bisou à l’interprète

    Periwinkle | 9:28 am

  29. Wonderfully cute.

    I taught myself to sing the alphabet song in French and German when I was studying languages at A level, and it still, after 20 (ulp) years, sounds like the most natural thing.

    Awwwwwww.

    Clare | 9:44 am

  30. Hmmm, how’s this for procrastination: I’ve just spent ten minutes trying to remember both versions, and inevitably getting them both muddled with each other in the process.

    Ah bay say day er ef jay,
    Ash eee jee car el-em-en-o* pay,
    Cur, air, ess, tay,
    Oooh vay dooblervay ay ix igreck zed.

    Ah bay tsay day er(?) ef gay,
    Ha ee yacht car el-em-en-o* pay,
    Coo, air, ess, tay,
    Oooh fow vay unt ix igreck(?) tset.

    * Pronounced as in the O of Dog.

    Clare | 9:54 am

  31. Hello, and thank you for sharing the delightful song!

    The rossignol song is not a traditional French song, it is a song written by Francis Lopez, in the 50’s I believe. Francis Lopez wrote many French “operettes,” and Luis Mariano and Tino Rossi made the song popular. Actually, I thought that Tadpole sung it with a slight “accent provencal,” and wonder if she did not learn the song listening to a Tino Rossi album.

    Best,

    Marie

    Marie | 2:02 pm

  32. That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard! What a set of pipes on that one, you’ve got a belter on your hands!

    maitresse | 3:17 pm

  33. She is ridiculously cute…

    Kirsty | 5:58 pm

  34. Unfortunately i failed to hear her sing………

    becky | 9:19 am

  35. Mais quel talent cette petite !
    Je suggère quand même de lui apprendre des chansons un peu plus modernes ! Tino Rossi c’est vraiment ringard, non ?

    Papotine | 1:08 pm

  36. oui, mais c’est mamie qui lui a appris cette chanson là, pas moi!

    petite | 1:22 pm

  37. Ringard? ça pourrait être ringard si c’était moi qui chantais, mais là, avec sa petite voix si fraîche (et remarquablement juste, je suis impressionnée!), elle enlève toute la ringardise de Tino Rossi (y’a du boulot, pourtant!), elle le renouvelle, quel talent!
    Moi je dis: vive les grands-mères qui élargissent le répertoire des petits bouts et leur donnent autre chose à voir et à écouter que les parents! C’est pas incompatible, c’est complémentaire …
    Lola

    Lola | 3:03 pm

  38. Lola a bien raison, j’ai fait ma grincheuse là : pardon ! (vive Petite et sa petite).

    Papotine | 9:55 pm

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Comments are auto-closed after 10 days as an anti-spam measure. Sorry!