“Que dit l'animal ?” — What Does the Animal Say Song in French for Kids

In “Que dit l'animal ?” (What Does the Animal Say?), kids sing key French words like que dit-il ?, grenouille, coincoin and son, going back and forth between English and French, so the meaning is never a mystery. It's a beginner song from Unit 4: Animals, 1:38 long, made for ages 2–8.

🇫🇷 French
Level: Beginner
Unit 4 · Les Animaux
⏱ 1:38
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“Que dit l'animal ?” lyrics with English translation

Every line as it's sung, with its meaning beside it. French is shown in teal.

Song lyrics with translation. French lines are shown in teal.
Sung	Meaning
What does it say?	Que dit-il ?
Que dit-il ?	What does it say?
Frog!	Grenouille !
Grenouille !	Frog!
The frog says...	La grenouille dit...
La grenouille dit...	The frog says...
Ribbit, ribbit!	Coâ, coâ !
Coâ, coâ !	Ribbit, ribbit!
What does it say?	Que dit-il ?
Que dit-il ?	What does it say?
What does it say?	Que dit-il ?
Que dit-il ?	What does it say?
Frog!	Grenouille !
Grenouille !	Frog!
Sound!	Son !
Son !	Sound!
Say it again, redis-le !
Frog, frog!	Grenouille, grenouille !
Grenouille, grenouille !	Frog, frog!
What does it say?	Que dit-il ?
Que dit-il ?	What does it say?
Duck!	Canard !
Canard !	Duck!
Quack, quack!	Coincoin, coincoin !
Coincoin, coincoin !	Quack, quack!
The duck says...	Le canard dit...
Le canard dit...	The duck says...
What does it say?	Que dit-il ?
Que dit-il ?	What does it say?
Cat!	Chat !
Chat !	Cat!
Meow!	Miaou !
Miaou !	Meow!
Dog!	Chien !
Chien !	Dog!
Woof, woof!	Ouaf, ouaf !
Ouaf, ouaf !	Woof, woof!
Bird!	Oiseau !
Oiseau !	Bird!
Tweet, tweet!	Cui-cui !
Cui-cui !	Tweet, tweet!
What does it say?	Que dit-il ?
Que dit-il ?	What does it say?
Sound!	Son !
Son !	Sound!
Frog!	Grenouille !
Grenouille !	Frog!
Say it again, redis-le !
Quack, quack!	Coincoin, coincoin !
Coincoin, coincoin !	Quack, quack!
What does it say?	Que dit-il ?
Que dit-il ?	What does it say?
What does the cat say?	Que dit le chat ?
Que dit le chat ?	What does the cat say?
Meow, meow!	Miaou, miaou !
Miaou, miaou !	Meow, meow!
What does the duck say?	Que dit le canard ?
Que dit le canard ?	What does the duck say?
Quack, quack!	Coincoin, coincoin !
Coincoin, coincoin !	Quack, quack!
What does it say?	Que dit-il ?
Que dit-il ?	What does it say?
Frog!	Grenouille !
Grenouille !	Frog!
Sound!	Son !
Son !	Sound!
Coincoin, coincoin !	Quack, quack!
Au revoir, see you soon!

Key French words in this song

The 4 words and phrases this song is built around.

French	English
que dit-il ?	what does it say?
grenouille	frog
coincoin	quack
son	sound

How to use this song with your child

1
Count the “que dit-il”s
“que dit-il” means “what does it say?” and comes up on 8 lines. Keep count on your fingers together; older kids can try to predict when it's coming next.
2
Pause between the call and the answer
The song moves back and forth between English and French. On a second listen, pause after an English line and let your child try the French answer before the song sings it.
3
A quick one: try it with an activity
At 1:38 it's short enough to play twice in a row. Move like each animal as it's named: hop, stomp, flap, slither.