Je veux
by Zaz
Built on a clash of register, and the song only makes sense once you hear it. The commands are all in the polite vous form — donnez-moi, offrez-moi, oubliez, excusez-moi, regardez-moi — the French you would use with a stranger or a shopkeeper. Sitting right beside them is je me casse, which is slang for clearing off, and the clipped j'veux crever where the e of je simply disappears. Formal grammar, street delivery. A learner who has only studied one register cannot hear that joke, and hearing it is a genuine step forward. Notice too that the pronoun follows a positive command but would move in front of a negative one. A2+ is generous for the words and about right for the attitude.
How to study this song
“Je veux” carries 32 French words, 5 adjectives and 17 verb forms — 54 study entries in all, graded A2+. The glossary is the place to begin — suite, bijoux and limousine are the song’s keywords. This one leans on its verbs: 17 distinct forms against 5 adjectives, so conjugation is where the effort goes. At this level the goal is recognition: hear a word, place it, keep going.
The words of this song, in several languages
Every word below is taken from this song and translated by us. Nothing here is the lyric itself — these are the individual words you need in order to follow it.
Vocabulary
| FR | EN | ES | IT | PT | NL | DE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| suite | suite | suite | suite | suíte |
What this song teaches you
Level · A2+
- Vocabulary words
- 32
- Adjectives
- 5
- Word combos
- 11
- Expressions
- 6
- Verb forms
- 17
- Quiz questions
- 35
Background
About the song
“Je veux” is the breakthrough hit of the French singer Zaz, released in 2010 on her debut album.
Sung in her warm, husky, jazz-tinged voice over a bouncing acoustic groove that nods to gypsy swing and classic French chanson, it is a joyful rejection of material things: the narrator turns down luxury, money and status in favour of freedom, sincerity and simple happiness.
That cheerful anti-materialism, matched to an irresistibly hummable tune, made it an instant favourite. It was written by Kerredine Soltani and Tryss, with Soltani producing alongside Alban Sautour, and appeared in May 2010 on Zaz’s self-titled debut for the Play On label.
Did you know?
The song introduced Zaz to a wide European audience and became a staple of French-language playlists well beyond France, particularly popular in Germany and other neighbouring countries.
Its blend of street-busking energy and polished songwriting helped revive international interest in modern chanson and established Zaz as one of the genre’s leading contemporary voices.
Charts & streaming
“Je veux” was a strong seller across French-speaking and German-speaking Europe and anchored a debut album that went multi-platinum in France. It remains Zaz’s signature song, still heavily streamed and a fixture of her live shows and of French-learning playlists worldwide.
It is certified platinum in Belgium and Switzerland and gold in Germany and Italy, and it charted for years across the region, reaching number two in French-speaking Belgium and topping the airplay chart there.