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French Word of the Day: Fanfarroner

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

You'll probably see a lot of this in pubs during a contentious match.

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Why do I need to know fanfarroner ?

Because if you are a sporting fan looking to hype up your team, someone might say that you are doing this.

What does it mean?

Fanfarroner roughly pronounced fan-fair-oh-nay –  means to boast, brag, or show off to others.  

You might hear this verb when fans of a sporting team are being described, or perhaps during a conversation about a boastful colleague or friend. 

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The French verb “fanfarroner” - which sounds very similar to the English word “fanfare” and bears a similar meaning - appearing as early as the 1600s, originally comes from the Spanish word ‘fanfarrón.’ The Spanish word itself actually comes from the Arabic word for “talkative.”

In French, you can also use the adjective “fanfaron” to refer to a person as a ‘braggart.’

Use it like this

Des supporters anglais fanfaronnent, en disant “qu'on va vous battre,” avant de défier la France en quarts de finale. – English fans brag, saying ‘we’re going to beat you’ before facing France in the quarterfinals. 

Mon ami américain ne cesse de fanfaronner du peu de sommeil qu'il a et de son dévouement au travail. – My American  friend is always bragging about how little sleep he gets and how dedicated he is to his work.

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