Have you ever played a game where you stand in a circle and someone chooses you to join them? Games that build with each turn are so much fun! There is a classic French singing game that does exactly this, starting with a farmer and growing all the way to a mouse. It is a song about a farm, a family, and a playful chain of choosing. Let’s form a circle and learn the cumulative game song “The Farmer in the Dell (Il était un fermier).”
About the Song
Here are the playful, building lyrics of the traditional French singing game:
Il était un fermier, un fermier, un fermier,
Il était un fermier, Qui prenait une femme.
La femme prenait un enfant... L'enfant prenait une nourrice... La nourrice prenait un chat... Le chat prenait une souris... La souris prenait un fromage... Le fromage était tout seul.
English Translation: There was a farmer, a farmer, a farmer, There was a farmer, Who took a wife.
The wife took a child... The child took a nurse... The nurse took a cat... The cat took a mouse... The mouse took a cheese... The cheese was all alone.
This is a popular French-language singing game and cumulative song. The song tells a simple, growing story. “There was a farmer, a farmer, a farmer,” it begins, introducing our first character. “There was a farmer, who took a wife,” he chooses someone. Then, each new character chooses the next. “The wife took a child… the child took a nurse… the nurse took a cat… the cat took a mouse… the mouse took a cheese…” Finally, the last one is alone. “The cheese was all alone.” The song is a playful chain of choices, building a funny farm and family scene one step at a time.
What the Song is About
The song describes a funny chain of events on a farm, perfect for a game. Imagine a farmer standing in the middle of a circle. “There was a farmer, a farmer, a farmer,” everyone sings about him. “There was a farmer, who took a wife,” he walks over and chooses someone from the circle to join him.
Now two people are in the middle. “The wife took a child,” the wife chooses a third person. “The child took a nurse,” the child chooses a fourth. The group in the middle grows! “The nurse took a cat,” she chooses someone to be the cat. “The cat took a mouse,” the “cat” chooses a “mouse.” “The mouse took a cheese,” the “mouse” chooses the last player. Finally, only the “cheese” is left in the middle. “The cheese was all alone.” The game creates a silly chain: farmer -> wife -> child -> nurse -> cat -> mouse -> cheese, with the cheese left by itself at the end.
Who Made It & Its Story
“Il était un fermier” is the traditional French version of the widely known singing game “The Farmer in the Dell.” Its specific creator is unknown. It is a classic French children’s circle game song, enjoyed in schools and playgrounds across France and other French-speaking regions. Similar versions exist in many languages. The song reflects traditional rural (farm) life and family structures, and its main purpose is for playful social interaction, teaching turn-taking and sequence in a fun way.
This interactive, cumulative song is loved for three engaging reasons. First, it teaches clear, useful French vocabulary for family and farm-related nouns (“fermier,” “femme,” “enfant,” “chat,” “souris”) and the key verb “prenait” (took). Second, it has a simple, repetitive, and very catchy melody that is incredibly easy to learn and perfect for group singing and movement. Third, it is a fun, physical game that teaches sequencing, social inclusion (being chosen), and playful storytelling through actions, making learning active and joyful.
When to Sing It
This song is perfect for group play and building excitement. You can sing and play it with friends at a party, forming a circle and acting out the chain of choices. You can chant it with your family at home, using stuffed animals to represent each character in the sequence. You can also sing it on a long car ride, taking turns to name each character in the chain without the game, just for fun memory practice.
What Children Can Learn
This fun, interactive song is a fantastic teacher of basic French nouns, the idea of sequence, and the verb “prendre” (to take) in a past form, showing how one action leads to another.
Vocabulary
The song teaches us clear French words for people and animals in a farm story. “There was” (Il était). “A” (un/une). “Farmer” (fermier). “Who” (Qui). “Took” (prenait). “A wife” (une femme). “The” (La/Le). “Child” (enfant). “Nurse” (nourrice). “Cat” (chat). “Mouse” (souris). “Cheese” (fromage). “Was” (était). “All alone” (tout seul).
Let’s use these words! You can tell a simple story: “Il était un chat.” (There was a cat.) “Le chat prenait une souris.” (The cat took a mouse.) New word: La chaîne. This means “the chain,” which is what the song makes—a chain of characters!
Language Skills
This song is excellent for learning about actions in the past, specifically the “imparfait” (imperfect) tense in French, through the repeating verb “prenait” (was taking/took). We see it in every line: “Il ... prenait”, “La femme prenait”, “L’enfant prenait”.
Concept Definition: The word “prenait” comes from the verb “prendre,” which means “to take.” Here, “prenait” means “took” or “was taking.” It describes an action that happened in the past. The farmer took a wife. The wife took a child. It shows a past habit or a sequence of past events.
Features and Types: “Prenait” is in the “imparfait” tense. This tense is often used for describing past situations, telling stories, or talking about what “used to” happen. In this song, it tells the story of what each character did. Other common “imparfait” forms are “était” (was) and “avait” (had). The song pattern is: “[Person] + prenait + [another person/thing].”
How to Spot Them: Here is a simple “story-time clue” trick. When you hear or read a story in French that starts with “Il était…” (There was…), the next verbs that tell what happened are often in the “imparfait.” Look for verbs ending with “-ait” (for “il/elle” forms) as a clue. “Il prenait” (He took), “elle prenait” (she took).
How to Use Them: A great way to tell a simple chain story is the “Story Chain Formula”. The pattern is: “[Character 1] + prenait + [Character 2]. [Character 2] + prenait + [Character 3].” Example from the song: “Il était un fermier… Qui prenait une femme. La femme prenait un enfant.”
Example you can make: “Il était un roi. Le roi prenait un chien. Le chien prenait un os.” (There was a king. The king took a dog. The dog took a bone.)
Sounds & Rhythm Fun
Listen to the bouncy, marching rhythm of the melody. The song has a very simple, repetitive tune that is easy for everyone to sing. The line “Il était un fermier, un fermier, un fermier” repeats the name three times, which helps everyone remember who comes next.
The melody for the second line (“Qui prenait une femme”) is almost the same, creating a strong pattern. This pattern repeats for every single verse, just changing the names. This makes it incredibly easy to learn and sing as a group. The rhythm is steady and perfect for walking or skipping in a circle. This musical pattern is perfect for creating your own cumulative song. You can make a “Space Chain” song! Try: “Il était un astronaute, un astronaute, un astronaute, Il était un astronaute, Qui prenait une étoile. L'étoile prenait une planète…” (There was an astronaut… who took a star. The star took a planet…)
Culture & Big Ideas
“Il était un fermier” connects to traditional French rural life and community games. The “fermier” (farmer) reflects France’s strong agricultural history. The “nourrice” (nurse/ nanny) shows a historical family role. The song is a “jeu de ronde” (circle game), a classic type of French children’s play that builds social bonds, rhythm, and memory.
The song conveys three clever, playful ideas. First, it teaches sequential logic and memory through a cumulative chain (farmer->wife->child, etc.), helping brains remember order. Second, it is all about social interaction, taking turns, and inclusion, as each player gets “chosen” to join the growing center group. Third, it presents a simple, humorous miniature story (almost like a funny folk tale) that ends with a little twist—the cheese is left alone, which is silly and memorable.
Values & Imagination
Imagine you are in a sunny village square in the French countryside long ago. Children form a big circle. You are chosen to be the “fermier.” You stand proudly in the middle as everyone sings, “There was a farmer, a farmer, a farmer!” You walk to the circle and choose a friend to be your “femme.” Now you two are in the middle as the chain begins. “The wife took a child,” your friend chooses someone. More and more friends join the middle, becoming the child, the nurse, the cat, the mouse, and finally the cheese. The circle of singers gets smaller, and the group in the middle is a funny chain of characters. Finally, only the “cheese” stands alone, and everyone laughs. How does it feel to be chosen? How does it feel to choose the next person? Can you hear the clapping and laughing? Draw the game. Draw a big circle of simple stick figures holding hands. Inside the circle, draw a line of characters: a farmer, then a wife, then a child, etc., all the way to a little cheese at the end. This shows the song’s growing chain.
The song encourages us to play together fairly, to remember sequences, and to enjoy being part of a group story where everyone has a role. A wonderful activity is the “Chaîne de la Famille” (Family Chain) game. With your family or toys, act out the song. Start as the farmer. Choose a teddy bear to be the wife. Then, the wife teddy “chooses” (you can move it) a doll to be the child, and so on. Line them up in order. This connects you to the song’s core idea of building a sequence in a playful way.
So, from the choosing farmer to the lonely cheese, this song is a playful chain of events. It is a vocabulary lesson in family and farm words. It is a language lesson in using the past tense verb “prenait” (took) to tell a chain story. It is a music lesson in a repetitive, catchy melody perfect for group games. “The Farmer in the Dell (Il était un fermier)” teaches us about sequences, social play, and telling a simple, funny story.
Your Core Takeaways
You are now an expert on the song “The Farmer in the Dell (Il était un fermier).” You know it is a French singing game about a farmer who takes a wife, starting a chain where each new character takes the next, all the way to a cheese that ends up alone. You’ve learned French words like “fermier,” “femme,” “enfant,” “nourrice,” “chat,” “souris,” and “fromage,” and you’ve practiced using the past tense “prenait” (took) to tell a linked story. You’ve felt its catchy, repetitive rhythm perfect for circle games and created your own chain verse. You’ve also discovered the song’s message about sequence, group play, and humorous storytelling.
Your Practice Missions
First, play the “Il prenait…” story game. Take three of your toys. Tell a very short chain story about them in French using the “Story Chain Formula.” For example, “Il était un ours. L'ours prenait un miel. Le miel était tout seul.” (There was a bear. The bear took some honey. The honey was all alone.) This mission helps you practice the song’s key language skill of using “prenait” to make a past chain.
Second, have a “Jeu de Ronde” (Circle Game) moment. The next time you have two or more friends or family members, try to play the real game! Stand in a circle with one person as the “fermier” in the middle. Sing the song and have the farmer choose a “wife” to join them. Keep singing and choosing (child, nurse, cat, mouse, cheese) until everyone is in the chain or only the “cheese” is left. This mission lets you experience the song’s core fun as a social, cumulative game.
