“Huit Bras” — Octopus Song Song in French for Kids
In “Huit Bras” (The Octopus Song), kids sing key French words like la pieuvre, huit bras, cinq and six, going back and forth between English and French, so the meaning is never a mystery. It's a early-learner (A1) song from Unit 29: At the Sea, 1:57 long, made for ages 2–8.
- 🇫🇷 French
- Level: A1
- Unit 29 · À la Mer
- ⏱ 1:57
- 🔒 Premium
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“Huit Bras” lyrics with English translation
Every line as it's sung, with its meaning beside it. French is shown in teal.
| Sung | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Octopus! | La pieuvre ! |
| La pieuvre ! | Octopus! |
| Eight arms! | Huit bras ! |
| Huit bras ! | Eight arms! |
| One arm waves! | Un bras fait coucou ! |
| Elle fait coucou ! | It waves hello! |
| Two arms clap! | Deux bras applaudissent ! |
| Elle applaudit ! | It claps! |
| Three arms swim! | Trois bras nagent ! |
| Trois bras nagent ! | Three arms swim! |
| Four arms tickle! | Quatre bras chatouillent ! |
| Quatre bras chatouillent ! | Four arms tickle! |
| Who is silly? | Qui est rigolo ? |
| La pieuvre est rigolote ! | The octopus is silly! |
| Hello, little octopus! | Bonjour, petite pieuvre ! |
| Bonjour, petite pieuvre ! | Hello, little octopus! |
| One, two, three, four! | Un, deux, trois, quatre ! |
| Un, deux, trois, quatre ! | One, two, three, four! |
| FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! | CINQ ! SIX ! SEPT ! HUIT ! |
| CINQ ! SIX ! SEPT ! HUIT ! | FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! |
| Eight arms, huit bras! | |
| La pieuvre fait coucou ! | The octopus waves hello! |
| Eight arms, huit bras! | |
| Elle applaudit, bravo ! | It claps, bravo! |
| Count with me, count with me, | Compte avec moi, compte avec moi, |
| Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit ! | One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! |
| Red! | Rouge ! |
| Rouge ! | Red! |
| Blue! | Bleu ! |
| Bleu ! | Blue! |
| Purple! | Violet ! |
| Violet ! | Purple! |
| It changes color! | Elle change de couleur ! |
| Elle change de couleur ! | It changes color! |
| A little hug! | Un câlin ! |
| Un câlin ! | A little hug! |
| It gives a hug! | Elle fait un câlin ! |
| Elle fait un câlin ! | It gives a hug! |
| Then—squirt! | Et puis — pschitt ! |
| Pschitt ! | Squirt! |
| Ink! | L’encre ! |
| L’encre ! | Ink! |
| A cloud of ink! | Un nuage d’encre ! |
| Un nuage d’encre ! | A cloud of ink! |
| Where’s the octopus? | Où est la pieuvre ? |
| Elle se cache ! | It’s hiding! |
| There she is! | La voilà ! |
| La voilà ! | Here she is! |
| One, two, three, four! | Un, deux, trois, quatre ! |
| Un, deux, trois, quatre ! | One, two, three, four! |
| FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! | CINQ ! SIX ! SEPT ! HUIT ! |
| CINQ ! SIX ! SEPT ! HUIT ! | FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! |
| Eight arms, huit bras! | |
| La pieuvre fait coucou ! | The octopus waves hello! |
| Eight arms, huit bras! | |
| Elle applaudit, bravo ! | It claps, bravo! |
| Count with me, count with me, | Compte avec moi, compte avec moi, |
| Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit ! | One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! |
| Shy little octopus? | Petite pieuvre timide ? |
| Petite pieuvre timide ! | Shy little octopus! |
| Red, blue, purple! | Rouge, bleu, violet ! |
| Rouge, bleu, violet ! | Red, blue, purple! |
| She changes color. | Elle change de couleur. |
| Elle change de couleur. | She changes color. |
| Ink cloud—hide away! | Un nuage d’encre — cache-toi ! |
| Un nuage d’encre, elle se cache ! | A cloud of ink, it hides! |
| Ready? | Prêts ? |
| Prête ! | Ready! |
| One big hug! | Un grand câlin ! |
| Un grand câlin ! | One big hug! |
| One, two, three, four! | Un, deux, trois, quatre ! |
| Un, deux, trois, quatre ! | One, two, three, four! |
| FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! | CINQ ! SIX ! SEPT ! HUIT ! |
| CINQ ! SIX ! SEPT ! HUIT ! | FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! |
| Eight arms, huit bras! | |
| La pieuvre fait coucou ! | The octopus waves hello! |
| Eight arms, huit bras! | |
| Elle applaudit, bravo ! | It claps, bravo! |
| Count with me, count with me, | Compte avec moi, compte avec moi, |
| Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit ! | One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! |
| La pieuvre ! Eight arms! | |
| Huit bras—un grand câlin ! | Eight arms — one big hug! |
Key French words in this song
The 13 words and phrases this song is built around.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| la pieuvre | octopus |
| huit bras | eight arms |
| cinq | five |
| six | six |
| sept | seven |
| huit | eight |
| elle fait coucou | it waves |
| elle applaudit | it claps |
| un câlin | a hug |
| elle change de couleur | it changes color |
| rouge | red |
| l'encre | ink |
| elle se cache | it hides |
How to use this song with your child
- 1
Count the “huit”s
“huit” means “eight” and comes up on 14 lines. Keep count on your fingers together; older kids can try to predict when it's coming next.
- 2
Split the parts
Once the song is familiar, you sing the English lines and your child sings the French ones, then swap. It turns listening into speaking.
- 3
Make it a routine
At 1:57, play it once a day at the same moment for a week. Pack a pretend beach bag and name each thing as the song sings it.
More ocean songs in French
Les Animaux de la Mer
Sea Animals · 2:35 · Premium
le poisson, la baleine, le dauphin, la pieuvre
Une Journée à la Plage
A Day at the Beach · 1:57 · Premium
la plage, le maillot de bain, la crème solaire, le seau
Au Fond de la Mer
Down in the Deep Sea · 2:58 · Premium
au fond de la mer, le sous-marin, qu'est-ce que tu vois ?, je vois
“The Octopus Song” in other languages
The same song, written for each language we teach.
134 French songs, 32 topics, one joyful habit
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