Published June 28, 2022 · Updated April 18, 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.
“Mon Dieu” (1960) is one of Édith Piaf’s most powerful and emotional songs. The title means “My God,” and the lyrics express desperation, love, and a final plea to hold on to a fleeting moment of happiness before it disappears.
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 “Mon Dieu” by Édith Piaf
Listen to the song — how many words can you catch before checking the translation?
📘 Mon Dieu meaning
Mon Dieu literally means “my God.” In French, this expression is used to show strong emotion — such as surprise, shock, frustration, or admiration. Depending on the tone and context, it can be similar to “oh my God” in English. In the song, it carries a deeper, more dramatic sense of pleading and emotional intensity. The word mon means “my” (masculine), and Dieu means “God.”
🎧 Mon Dieu pronunciation in French
The pronunciation of Mon Dieu is /mɔ̃ djø/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like “mohn dyuh”.
🔊 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.
Mon Dieu mon, Mon Dieu, Mon Dieu, Laissez-le-moi encore un peu mon amoureux
My God, My God, My God, Leave it to me a little bit more my love
Le temps de s’adorer, De se le dire, Le temps de s’fabriquer des souvenirs
The time to love each other, To say to each other, The time to make memories
Même si j’ai tort, Laissez-le-moi un peu, Même si j’ai tort laissez-le-moi
Even if I’m wrong, leave it to me a bit, Even if I’m wrong leave it to me
👉 Like this song? Check out “La vie en rose“ by Édith Piaf — her most iconic and beautiful song, perfect for learning French with lyrics and native audio clips.
🎵 Mon Dieu – Lyrics with English Translation
Mon Dieu (3x)
Laissez-le-moi
Encore un peu
Mon amoureux!
Un jour
Deux jours
Huit jours
Laissez-le-moi
Encore un peu
À moi
My God
Leave it to me
A little bit more
My love
One day
two Days
Eight days
Leave it to me
A little bit more
To me
Le temps de s’adorer
De se le dire
Le temps de s’fabriquer
Des souvenirs
Mon Dieu
Oh oui mon Dieu!
Laissez-le-moi
Remplir un peu
Ma vie
The time to love each other
To say to each other
The time to make
Memories
My God
Oh yes my God
Leave it to me
Fill my life a little
Mon Dieu (3x)
Laissez-le-moi
Encore un peu
Mon amoureux
Six mois
Trois mois
Deux mois
Laissez-le-moi
Pour seulement
Un mois
My God
Leave it to me
My love
Six months
Three months
Two months
Leave it to me
For only one month
Le temps de commencer
Ou de finir
Le temps d’illuminer
Ou de souffrir
Mon Dieu (3x)
Même si j’ai tort
Laissez-le-moi
Un peu
Même si j’ai tort
Laissez-le-moi
The time to start
Or to finish
The time to light up
Or to suffer
My God
Even if I’m wrong
Leave it to me
A little
Even if I’m wrong
Leave it to me
Encore
again
More Édith Piaf songs to explore
Édith Piaf’s songs are known for their emotional depth, clear pronunciation, and timeless French expressions. If you enjoyed Mon Dieu, these songs are excellent next steps for learning through music:
👉 La Vie en rose — Gentle, romantic vocabulary with simple, memorable lines.
👉 Hymne à l’amour — Powerful, poetic French filled with emotion and expressive phrasing.
👉 Milord — Story-driven lyrics with everyday expressions and vivid imagery.
✏️ Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
🎵 Song Title
Mon Dieu → literal translation: “My God”
- mon means “my” (masculine possessive adjective)
- Dieu means “God”
- Repetition (Mon Dieu, Mon Dieu, Mon Dieu) intensifies emotion and urgency
🧩 Sentence Structures & Grammar
Mon Dieu, Mon Dieu, Mon Dieu
👉 “My God, my God, my God”
- Repetition expresses desperation and emotional intensity
Laissez-le-moi
👉 “Leave him to me” / “Let me have him”
- laisser means “to let” or “to leave”
- le is a direct object pronoun (him/it)
- moi is a stressed pronoun (me), used for emphasis
Encore un peu
👉 “A little more”
- encore can mean “again,” “still,” or “more” depending on context
Mon amoureux
👉 “My love” / “My sweetheart”
- amoureux can mean “boyfriend” or “lover”
- Also used as an adjective meaning “in love”
Un jour, deux jours, huit jours
👉 “One day, two days, eight days”
- Listing time emphasizes urgency and the desire for more time
À moi
👉 “Mine” / “To me”
- Shortened emotional expression (elliptical form)
Le temps de s’adorer
👉 “The time to love each other”
- s’adorer is a reciprocal reflexive verb (“to love each other”)
De se le dire
👉 “To say it to each other”
- se indicates reciprocity (“to each other”)
- le refers to “it” (the feeling or words)
Le temps de se fabriquer des souvenirs
👉 “The time to make memories”
- se fabriquer = “to create for oneself / each other”
- souvenirs means “memories”
Remplir un peu ma vie
👉 “To fill my life a little”
- remplir means “to fill”
- la vie means life
- Expresses emotional fulfillment
Le temps de commencer ou de finir
👉 “The time to begin or to end”
- finir means “to finish” or “to end”
- Contrast between beginnings and endings
Le temps d’illuminer ou de souffrir
👉 “The time to light up or to suffer”
- Strong emotional contrast (illuminer vs souffrir)
Même si j’ai tort
👉 “Even if I’m wrong”
- même si means “even if”
- avoir tort means “to be wrong”
🔤 Verb Forms & Tenses
- Present tense: laissez, ai
- Infinitives: laisser, adorer, dire, fabriquer, remplir, commencer, finir, illuminer, souffrir
- Reflexive verbs: s’adorer, se fabriquer
- Expression: avoir tort (to be wrong)
💬 Idioms & Natural Expressions
- mon Dieu → an exclamation showing strong emotion
- laisser quelqu’un → to let someone / leave someone
- avoir tort → to be wrong
- encore un peu → a bit more / a little longer
🧠 Grammar Highlights to Notice
- Use of direct object pronouns (le)
- Use of stressed pronouns (moi) for emphasis
- Reciprocal reflexive verbs (se, s’)
- Elliptical expressions (à moi)
- Repetition for emotional emphasis
- Contrasts between opposite ideas (commencer / finir, illuminer / souffrir)
📘 Vocabulary
- Dieu — God
- amoureux (m.) — lover, boyfriend
- le jour — day
- le temps — time
- le souvenir — memory
- la vie — life
- le mois — month
- remplir — to fill
- souffrir — to suffer
- encore — again, still, more
🎶 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 Édith Piaf songs
👉 La vie en rose »
👉 Non, je ne regrette rien »
👉 Hymne à l’amour »
👉 Milord »
👉 Padam, padam… »
👉 Sous le ciel de Paris »
