Spanish word

fingir

Pronunciation

IPA/fiŋˈxiɾ/

Meaning

  • verbpretend

Example

No finjas que estás bien.

Don't pretend you're fine.

Illustration for fingir (pretend)

More examples

Para protegerse, él fingió estar dormido.

To protect himself, he pretended to be asleep.

Core concept

A person forcing a smile at a party.

Common phrases

  • fingir una sonrisa

    fake a smile

  • fingir que

    pretend that

  • fingir ser alguien

    pretend to be someone

Similar words

simular: Mimics a state or action to make it appear real.
actuar: Performs a role or scene, behaving like a character for an audience.
hacer como si: Behaves as if a situation were true when it is not.
aparentar: Projects a particular appearance or manner to create a chosen impression.

Definition in Spanish

Simular una emoción, conducta o situación para hacer creer a los demás que es real.

Word origin

Spanish fingir comes from Latin fingĕre 'to shape or make' and shares its root with ficción and ficticio, giving fingir the sense of making an emotion, behavior, or situation appear real.

Usage tips

  • Fingir commonly appears as fingir que + clause or fingir + infinitive, and in spoken Spanish speakers often use informal alternatives such as hacer como que or hacerse el/la + noun or adjective.

Other meanings

  • pose asverb
  • fakeverb

Opposites

Related words

  • fingimientopretensenoun
  • fingidofeignedadjective

Word lists with this word