fulano de tal
/fulano de tal/from spelling rules
The English phrase "so and so" is translated into Spanish as fulano de tal.
The phrase fulano de tal is used to refer to an unspecified or hypothetical person, serving a similar purpose to "so and so" or "John Doe" in English.
Which one should you use?
While fulano de tal is the full phrase, you can use the shorter form fulano to mean "a certain guy" or "so-and-so". When you need to list multiple placeholder names, Spanish speakers use the set Fulano, Mengano y Zutano, which is equivalent to the English "John Doe, Jane Doe and so on".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase can be changed to the feminine form fulana de tal when referring specifically to a woman. Additionally, the phrase Ese fulano can be used to mean "that so-and-so".
How do you pronounce it?
/fulano de tal/
Did you know?
- The name fulano actually traces its roots back to the Arabic word fulān, which was also used as a placeholder for an unnamed person.
- Calling someone ese fulano can shift from a neutral placeholder to a slightly derogatory way of saying 'that guy' or 'that fellow' in a dismissive tone.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, if you want to avoid using a real person's name to prevent gossip, you might use fulanito as a diminutive to make the person sound smaller or less important.
Examples in context
- No conozco a fulano de tal.I don't know so-and-so.
- Fulano de tal me dijo que vendría.So-and-so told me he would come.
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofia are talking about a mysterious phone call.
- MateoRecibí un mensaje de fulano de tal.I received a message from so-and-so.
- Sofía¿Quién es esa persona, Mateo?Who is that person, Mateo?
- MateoNo lo sé, no dejó su nombre real.I don't know, he didn't leave his real name.
- SofíaQué extraño es ese fulano de tal.That so-and-so is very strange.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, fulano, tal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
