Published May 4, 2022 · Updated April 22, 2026 — Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson. Pronunciation audio recorded by Marie Assel Cambier, a professional voice artist and native French speaker. Lyrics provided for educational purposes to support French language learning. All rights belong to the original copyright holders.
“Formidable” (2013) is one of Stromae’s most powerful and theatrical songs. The title means “wonderful” or “terrific,” but throughout the lyrics he uses the word ironically while portraying a heartbroken, drunken man unraveling in public after being left by the woman he loves.
In this lesson, you’ll explore the lyrics line by line with clear explanations and native pronunciation audio to help you understand the vocabulary, grammar, and deeper meaning behind every line.
🎙️ Listen to the song
📘 Meaning in French
🎧 Pronunciation guide
🔊 Practice with audio
🎵 Lyrics with English
✏️ Grammar notes
🎙️ Listen to “Formidable” by Stromae
Listen to the song — how many words can you catch before checking the translation?
📘 Formidable meaning
Formidable literally means “wonderful,” “terrific,” or “great.” In the song, Stromae uses the word ironically. While formidable is normally positive, the lyrics describe heartbreak, drunkenness, rejection, and emotional collapse. By repeating the word throughout the chorus, he contrasts the image of something amazing with the reality of a relationship that has fallen apart. The title also plays on the sound of fort minable (very pathetic), highlighting the gap between how things once seemed and how broken they now feel.
🎧 Formidable pronunciation in French
The pronunciation of “Formidable” is /fɔʁ.mi.dabl/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like “for-mee-dahbl”.
🔊 Practice pronunciation from the song
The recordings below feature key lines from the song recorded by a native French speaker for clear, natural pronunciation. Listen and repeat each line to improve your accent and rhythm.
Formidable, formidable, Tu étais formidable
Wonderful, wonderful, You were wonderful
j’étais fort minable
I was very pathetic
Oh bébé, oups mademoiselle
Oh baby, oops ! – miss
J’vais pas vous draguer promis juré
I’m not going to pick you, cross my heart
J’suis poli, courtois, et un peu fort bourré
I’m polite, courteous, and a bit, very drunk
Vous m’auriez vu hier j’étais formidable
You should have seen me yesterday, I was wonderful
Tu t’crois beau parce que tu t’es marié
You think you’re handsome because you’re married
Mais c’est qu’un anneau mec t’emballe pas
But just with a wedding ring, man, don’t get ahead of yourself
👉 Enjoying this song? Have a look at “Papaoutai“ by Stromae — his biggest hit, with catchy rhythms and clear lyrics that make it perfect for learning French.
🎵 Formidable – Lyrics with English Translation
(Chorus)
Formidable, formidable
Tu étais formidable, j’étais fort minable
Nous étions formidables
Formidable
Tu étais formidable, j’étais fort minable
Nous étions formidables
Wonderful, wonderful
You were wonderful, I was very pathetic
We were wonderful
Wonderful
You were wonderful, I was very pathetic
We were wonderful
Oh bébé – oups ! – mademoiselle
J’vais pas vous draguer, promis juré
J’suis célibataire, depuis hier p*tain !
J’peux pas faire d’enfant et bon c’est pas – Eh reviens !
Cinq minutes quoi ! J’t’ai pas insultée
J’suis poli, courtois, et un peu fort bourré
Et pour les mecs comme moi, vous avez autre chose à faire hein
Vous m’auriez vu hier…
J’étais…
Oh baby, oops ! – miss
I’m not going to pick you, cross my heart
I’ve been single since yesterday, f*ck!
I can’t have a kid and well, it’s not – hey come back!
Like five minutes! I didn’t insult you
I’m polite, courteous, and a bit, very drunk
And for guys like me, you have other things to do, eh
You should have seen me yesterday…
I was…
(Chorus)
Eh tu t’es regardé, tu t’crois beau parce que tu t’es marié
Mais c’est qu’un anneau, mec, t’emballe pas
Elle va t’larguer comme elles le font chaque fois
Et puis l’autre fille, tu lui en as parlé ?
Si tu veux je lui dis, comme ça c’est réglé
Et au p’tit aussi, enfin si vous en avez
Attends trois ans, sept ans, et là vous verrez
Si c’est…
Hey did you look at yourself, you think you’re handsome because you’re married
But it’s just a ring, man, don’t get ahead of yourself
She’s going to dump you like they do every time
And the other girl, did you talk to her about that?
If you want I’ll tell her, as it’s been settled
And to the child too, if you have one of them
Wait three years, seven years and then you will see
Yes it’s…
(Chorus)
Et petite – oh pardon ! – petit
Tu sais dans la vie y’a ni méchant ni gentil
Si Maman est chiante, c’est qu’elle a peur d’être mamie
Si Papa trompe Maman, c’est parce que Maman vieillit, tiens
Pourquoi t’es tout rouge ? Ben reviens gamin !
Et qu’est-ce que vous avez tous, à me regarder comme un singe, vous ?
Ah oui vous êtes saints, vous !
Bande de macaques !
Donnez-moi un bébé singe, il sera…
And young girl – oh sorry! – young guy
You know in life there’s neither mean nor kind
Yes mom is a pain, it’s that she’s afraid to be a grandmother
Yes dad cheats on mom, it’s because Mom is getting older, hey
Why are you all red? Well come back child!
And what’s wrong with all of you, to look at me like a monkey, you?
Ah yes you are saints!
Bunch of macaques!
Give me a baby monkey, he will be…
(Chorus)
More Stromae songs to explore
Stromae’s lyrics are full of everyday French, emotion, and clever wordplay. These three songs are great next steps for learning through music:
👉 Alors on danse — Short, repetitive lines with clear rhythm and everyday vocabulary.
👉 Papaoutai — Clear storytelling with simple sentence patterns and very common spoken French.
👉 Tous les mêmes — Modern, expressive French with attitude, opinions, and cultural nuance.
✏️ Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
The following section highlights selected lyrics from Formidable, with clear explanations of the vocabulary, slang, and grammar structures Stromae uses throughout the song.
🎵 Song Title
Formidable → literal translation: wonderful, terrific, amazing.
- In standard French, formidable is a very positive adjective.
- In this song, Stromae uses it ironically.
- The sound of formidable echoes fort minable, creating a key wordplay.
🧩 Sentence Structures & Grammar
Formidable, formidable
👉 “Wonderful, wonderful”
- Repetition creates emphasis.
- The cheerful word contrasts with the sadness of the song.
Tu étais formidable, j’étais fort minable
👉 “You were wonderful, I was very pathetic”
- tu étais and j’étais are imperfect forms of être.
- fort can mean “very”.
- minable means pathetic or miserable.
Nous étions formidables
👉 “We were wonderful”
- nous étions is the imperfect tense of être.
- Refers to the past relationship.
Oh bébé – oups ! – mademoiselle
👉 “Oh baby – oops! – miss”
- Sudden shift from intimacy to distance.
- Shows awkwardness and sarcasm.
- See also: Madame vs. mademoiselle (ma’am vs. miss)
J’vais pas vous draguer, promis juré
👉 “I’m not going to hit on you, cross my heart”
- j’vais = spoken je vais – Aller (to go) present tense.
- draguer = to flirt with / hit on / to pick up.
- promis juré = cross my heart.
J’suis célibataire, depuis hier ptain !*
👉 “I’ve been single since yesterday, damn!”
J’peux pas faire d’enfant et bon c’est pas – Eh reviens !
👉 “I can’t have children and well that’s not – hey come back!”
- j’peux = spoken je peux – Pouvoir (can, to be able) present tense.
- Interrupted sentence reflects drunken speech.
Cinq minutes quoi ! J’t’ai pas insultée
👉 “Five minutes, come on! I didn’t insult you”
- quoi is a filler word for emphasis.
- j’t’ai = spoken je t’ai.
- insultée agrees with a female listener.
J’suis poli, courtois, et un peu fort bourré
👉 “I’m polite, courteous, and a bit very drunk”
- Comic contradiction between un peu and fort bourré.
- bourré = drunk.
Et pour les mecs comme moi, vous avez autre chose à faire hein
👉 “And for guys like me, you have better things to do, eh”
Vous m’auriez vu hier…
👉 “You should have seen me yesterday…”
- Conditional perfect form.
- Literally: “You would have seen me yesterday.”
Eh tu t’es regardé, tu t’crois beau parce que tu t’es marié
👉 “Hey, have you looked at yourself? You think you’re handsome because you got married”
- tu t’es regardé = reflexive past tense.
- tu t’crois = spoken tu te crois; See: croire (to believe)
- tu t’es marié = got married.
Mais c’est qu’un anneau, mec, t’emballe pas
👉 “It’s only a ring, man, don’t get carried away”
- ne…que means “only”.
- t’emballe pas = spoken ne t’emballe pas.
- s’emballer = to get carried away.
Elle va t’larguer comme elles le font chaque fois
👉 “She’s going to dump you like they all do every time”
- t’larguer = spoken te larguer.
- larguer = to dump.
- Shift from elle to elles generalizes the statement.
Et puis l’autre fille, tu lui en as parlé ?
👉 “And the other girl, did you tell her about it?”
- lui = to her.
- en (pronoun) = about it.
Si tu veux je lui dis, comme ça c’est réglé
👉 “If you want, I’ll tell her, then it’s settled”
- si tu veux = if you want; See: Vouloir (to want)
- réglé = settled.
Et au p’tit aussi, enfin si vous en avez
👉 “And to the kid too, if you have one”
- p’tit = spoken petit.
- Means child here.
Attends trois ans, sept ans, et là vous verrez
👉 “Wait three years, seven years, then you’ll see”
- vous verrez = future tense of voir.
- là = then / at that point.
Si c’est…
👉 “If that’s…”
- si means “if” here.
- c’est = it’s / that’s
- Sentence trails off dramatically.
Et petite – oh pardon ! – petit
👉 “Hey little miss – oh sorry! – little guy”
- Feminine changes to masculine.
- He addresses random passersby.
Tu sais dans la vie y’a ni méchant ni gentil
👉 “You know in life there’s neither bad nor good”
Si Maman est chiante, c’est qu’elle a peur d’être mamie
👉 “If Mom is annoying, it’s because she’s afraid of becoming Grandma”
- chiant = annoying / a pain.
- maman = mom, mommy
- avoir peur de = to be afraid of.
Si Papa trompe Maman, c’est parce que Maman vieillit, tiens
👉 “If Dad cheats on Mom, it’s because Mom is aging”
- tromper = to cheat on.
- vieillit = gets older.
Pourquoi t’es tout rouge ? Ben reviens gamin !
👉 “Why are you all red? Come back, kid!”
- t’es = tu es (you are; être present tense).
- tout rouge = very red / embarrassed.
Et qu’est-ce que vous avez tous, à me regarder comme un singe, vous ?
👉 “What’s with all of you, staring at me like a monkey?”
- Colloquial complaint structure.
- comme un singe = like a monkey.
Ah oui vous êtes saints, vous !
👉 “Oh yes, you’re saints, aren’t you!”
- Strong sarcasm.
Bande de macaques !
👉 “Bunch of macaques!”
- bande de = bunch of / pack of.
Donnez-moi un bébé singe, il sera…
👉 “Give me a baby monkey, he will be…”
- donnez-moi = imperative of donner.
- Sentence cuts off dramatically.
🔤 Verb Forms & Tenses
- Imperfect: étais, étions
- Present: suis, peux, veux, sais, avez
- Passé composé: t’es regardé, t’es marié
- Near future: va t’larguer
- Future: verrez
- Imperative: reviens, attends, donnez-moi
💬 Idioms & Natural Expressions
- promis juré → cross my heart
- draguer quelqu’un → hit on someone
- être bourré → be drunk
- ne t’emballe pas → don’t get carried away
- bande de… → bunch of…
- tout rouge → bright red / embarrassed
🧠 Grammar Highlights to Notice
- Spoken contractions: j’suis, j’vais, t’es, y’a
- Repetition for emotional effect
- Informal spoken French
- Sarcasm throughout the lyrics
- Shifts between past, present, and future
📘 Vocabulary
- formidable — wonderful, terrific
- minable — pathetic
- célibataire — single
- bourré — drunk
- un anneau — ring
- larguer — to dump
- un mec — guy
- un p’tit — kid
- chiant(e) — annoying
- mamie — grandma
- un gamin — kid
- un singe — monkey
- un macaque — macaque
🎶 Take your learning to the next level!
FrenchLearner offers one of the largest collections of French song lessons online. Visit the French song lyrics hub to explore classics from the 1950s to the 2000s.
🎵 More Stromae songs
👉 Papaoutai »
👉 Alors on danse »
👉 L’enfer »
👉 Santé »
👉 Mon Amour »
👉 Fils de Joie »
👉 Bonne journée »
👉 La solassitude »
About this lesson: I create these song-based lessons to help French learners improve vocabulary, grammar, and cultural understanding in a fun, engaging way. Song lyrics are provided for educational purposes under fair use. All rights to the original works belong to their respective copyright holders.
