How to Report a Lost Item｜French Communication Phrases
Izumi French Garden
Expressions for Talking About Music｜French Conversation Phrases
Izumi
Conversations with friends or colleagues often include topics such as “favorite music” or “songs you have been listening to recently.” Talking about music is a casual subject and also a great way to become closer to someone.
In this lesson, I will introduce French expressions and grammar points you can use to ask about music and share your preferences.
Contents
Dialogue
Tu écoutes souvent de la musique ?
（Do you often listen to music at home?）
Oui, presque tous les jours.
（Yes, almost every day.）
Tu aimes quel genre ?
（What kind of music do you like?）
J’écoute surtout de la musique pop, mais j’aime bien le jazz aussi.
（I mostly listen to pop music, but I like jazz as well.）
Tu as un chanteur préféré ?
（Do you have a favorite singer?）
Oui, j’adore Angèle. Elle a une très belle voix.
（Yes, I love Angèle. She has a very beautiful voice.）
Grammar and Expression Points
1. Basic Expressions for “Listening to Music”
The verb used to express “to listen to music” is écouter.
- J’écoute de la musique. (I listen to music.)
The verb écouter means “to listen attentively,” and should be distinguished from entendre, which means “to hear (passively).”
In French, when referring to something uncountable or abstract, the partitive article (du / de la / des) is used.
- de la musique (music — feminine noun → de la)
- du jazz (jazz — masculine noun → du)
- des chansons françaises (French songs — plural → des)
When talking about genres, the form “musique + adjective” is often used:
- musique pop (pop music)
- musique électronique (electronic music)
2. Placement of Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of frequency (souvent, parfois, rarement, etc.) are frequently used to describe habits. They are generally placed directly after the verb.
- Je regarde souvent des films.
(I often watch movies.) - Elle écoute parfois du jazz.
(She sometimes listens to jazz.)
For slightly longer adverbial phrases such as presque tous les jours (almost every day), it is more natural to place them at the end of the sentence.
- J’écoute de la musique presque tous les jours.
(I listen to music almost every day.)
3. Expressing Preferences: aimer / aimer bien / adorer
French distinguishes different levels of liking something:
| Expression | Meaning | Degree of Feeling | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| adorer | to love, to be passionate about | very strong | used for strong enthusiasm. |
| aimer | to like, to love | strong | when used with a person, often implies romantic love. |
| aimer bien | to like, to find pleasant | weaker | casual, more reserved expression. |
4. Complimenting Someone’s Voice
When talking about music, you may want to say that someone has a beautiful voice. In French, the common expression is “avoir une belle voix” (to have a beautiful voice).
- Elle a une très belle voix.
(She has a very beautiful voice.) - Il a une voix grave.
(He has a deep, resonant voice.)
This structure “avoir + article + noun + adjective” is also widely used to describe appearance, personality, or other traits:
- Il a une belle personnalité.
(He has a great personality.) - Elle a une présence sur scène.
(She has a strong stage presence.)
Summary
- écouter de la musique
→ Use écouter for “active listening.” Remember the partitive article. - souvent / presque tous les jours
→ Frequency adverbs usually follow the verb; longer ones often appear at the end. - J’écoute surtout …
→ Use surtout to express what you mainly listen to. - aimer / aimer bien / adorer
→ Choose based on the strength of your preference. - avoir une belle voix
→ Standard phrase to compliment someone’s voice.
ABOUT SITE
このサイトではフランス語学習者に向けて、フランス語の文法をわかりやすく解説しています。
