Published May 16, 2022 · Updated April 11, 2026 — Lesson written by French teacher David Issokson for students who want to learn French online. 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.
“Je t’aime… moi non plus” (1969) is one of the most famous French duets, performed by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. The title literally means “I love you… me neither,” and the lyrics use poetic and suggestive language to express desire, contradiction, and emotional tension.
In this lesson, you’ll explore the lyrics line by line with clear explanations and native pronunciation audio to help you understand and practice real French.
🎙️ Listen to the song
📘 Meaning in French
🎧 Pronunciation guide
🔊 Practice with audio
🎵 Lyrics with English
✏️ Grammar notes
🎙️ Listen to “Je t’aime…moi non plus” by Serge Gainbroug
Listen to the song — how many words can you catch before checking the translation?
📘 Je t’aime…moi non plus meaning
The phrase je t’aime… moi non plus literally means “I love you… me neither.” This apparent contradiction is intentional and expresses mixed feelings where desire (je t’aime) and resistance (moi non plus) exist at the same time.
🎧 Je t’aime…moi non plus pronunciation in French
The pronunciation of “Je t’aime… moi non plus” is /ʒə tɛm mwa nɔ̃ ply/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like “zhuh tem… mwah non ploo”.
🔊 Practice pronunciation from the song
The audio 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.
Oh, mon amour
Oh, my love
Comme la vague irrésolue
Like the wavering wave
Tu es la vague, moi l’île nue
You are the wave, me the naked island
Je vais, je vais et je viens
I go, I go and I come
Je vais et je viens
I go and I come
Et je me retiens
And I hold back
Tu vas, tu vas et tu viens
You go, you go and you come
Tu vas et tu viens
You go and you come
Et je te rejoins
And I join you
🎵 Je t’aime…moi non plus – Lyrics with English Translation
Je t’aime, moi non plus
Oh, mon amour
Comme la vague irrésolue
Je vais, je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Et je me retiens
I love you, me neither
Oh, my love
Like the wavering wave
I go, I go and I come
Between your loins
I go and I come
Between your loins
And I hold back
Je t’aime, moi non plus
Oh, mon amour
Tu es la vague, moi l’île nue
Tu vas, tu vas et tu viens
Entre mes reins
Tu vas et tu viens
Entre mes reins
Et je te rejoins
I love you, me neither
Oh, my love
You are the wave, me the naked island
You go, you go and you come
Between my loins
You go and you come
Between my loins
And I join you
Je t’aime, moi non plus
Oh, mon amour
L’amour physique est sans issue
Je vais, je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Et je me retiens
I love you, me neither
Oh, my love
Physical love is without issue
I go, I go and I come
Between your loins
I go and I come
Between your loins
And I hold back
More Serge Gainsbourg songs to explore
Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin’s songs use poetic, suggestive language with repetition and simple structures. His lyrics are great for learning natural rhythm and expressive French.
👉 La Décadance — Similar duet style with sensual, conversational French and clear repetition.
✏️ Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
The following section highlights selected lyrics that reveal useful French vocabulary, expressions, and grammar structures from Je t’aime… moi non plus, with clear explanations to help you understand how they’re used.
🎵 Song Title
Je t’aime… moi non plus → literal translation: I love you… me neither.
- je t’aime = I love you
- moi non plus = me neither
- The phrase combines affirmation (je t’aime) with negation (moi non plus)
🧩 Sentence Structures & Grammar
Oh, mon amour
👉 “Oh, my love”
- mon amour = my love
See songs with this name: Mon amour (Stromae) and Mon amour (Slimane)
Comme la vague irrésolue
👉 “Like the wavering wave”
- comme = like
- irrésolue = undecided, unresolved
Je vais, je vais et je viens
👉 “I go, I go and I come”
- je vais = I go; See aller (to go)
- je viens = I come; See venir (to come)
Entre tes reins
👉 “Between your loins”
- entre = between
- tes reins = lower body / loins
Et je me retiens
👉 “And I hold myself back”
- se retenir = to hold back (reflexive)
Tu es la vague, moi l’île nue
👉 “You are the wave, me the naked island”
- tu es = you are; See Être (to be)
- moi replaces je suis for style
Tu vas, tu vas et tu viens
👉 “You go, you go and you come”
- tu vas = you go
Entre mes reins
👉 “Between my loins”
- mes = my; See possessive adjectives
Tu vas et tu viens
👉 “You go and you come”
Et je te rejoins
👉 “And I join you”
- rejoindre = to join
L’amour physique est sans issue
👉 “Physical love is a dead end”
- sans issue = without a way out
🔤 Verb Forms & Tenses
- Present tense: aime, vais, viens, es, vas
- Reflexive verb: se retenir
- Key verbs: aimer, aller, venir, rejoindre
💬 Idioms & Natural Expressions
- je t’aime → I love you
- moi non plus → me neither
- mon amour → my love
- sans issue → dead end
🧠 Grammar Highlights to Notice
- Contrast between affirmation (je t’aime) and negation (moi non plus)
- Use of moi (stressed pronoun) instead of je for emphasis
- Repetition for rhythm and emphasis (je vais, je vais…)
- Reflexive verb (je me retiens)
- Poetic word order (moi l’île nue)
- Present tense used throughout the song
📘 Vocabulary
- l’amour — love
- la vague — wave
- l’île — island
- les reins — lower back / loins
- retenir — to hold back
- rejoindre — to join
❓ Want to feel more confident in French?
🎯 À Moi Paris — My top recommended course by Camille Chevalier, featuring engaging audio stories (3 speeds) to help you understand real spoken French and improve pronunciation.
👉 Explore À Moi Paris »
👉 Read my review »
🎧 French Verb Drills — Camille’s step-by-step audio drills help you finally master verb conjugations.
👉 See Verb Drills »
If you purchase the courses, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.
🎙️ More French classic songs
👉 La Décadance (Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin) »
👉 La vie en rose (Édith Piaf) »
👉 Non, je ne regrette rien (Édith Piaf) »
👉 Sous le ciel de Paris (Édith Piaf) »
👉 Milord (Édith Piaf) »
👉 Ne me quitte pas (Jacques Brel) »
👉 La Bohème (Charles Aznavour) »
👉 C’est si bon (Yves Montand) »
👉 Les Feuilles mortes (Yves Montand) »
