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French Word of the Day: Zonard

The Local France
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French Word of the Day: Zonard
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

This pejorative word is not one that should be used in polite company.

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Why do I need to know zonard? 

Because if someone calls you this, you probably have the right to be offended. 

What does it mean? 

A zonard, pronounced zone-are, is someone who hangs out on street corners all day, confining themselves to a certain zone or area. 

In France, it is typically used to talk about someone who lives and hangs out in a poor part of town.

The term zonard generally refers to young people, on the margins of society and involved in some kind of delinquency. 

When describing his turbulent youth, France's former interior minister, Christophe Castaner, once explained to Paris Match that he left home and quit high-school at 18-years-old to zoner on the streets of Marseille for two years. 

The term zonard is considered offensive and incredibly snobby. Its female equivalent is zonarde

Some French rappers have reclaimed the word zonard, wearing the label as a badge of pride. 

Use it like this 

Il y a beaucoup de zonards dans mon quartier - There are lots of delinquents in my neighbourhood 

Chloé est une vraie zonarde. Elle traine dans la rue pendant toute la journée - Chloe is a bit of a thug. She hangs about on the street all day

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Il ramène avec lui la rage du zonard et la plume d’un lyriciste aguerri - He brings the anger of a street thug and the writing style of a seasoned lyricist 

C’était une cité zonarde sans histoires - It was a poor housing project without any history 

Synonyms 

Obviously, none of the terms below are nice labels to call someone. 

Un marginal - a person living on the margins

Un zonier - a delinquent, similar to zonard

Un voyou - a thug

Un jeune délinquant - a young délinquant 

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