/paβoneˈaɾse/ lit. ‘to peacock oneself’
Spanish idiom, everyday. To brag about yourself.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Spanish speaker.
How do people use Pavonearse
?
Neutral to mildly mocking, used in speech and writing. It’s a reflexive verb, so the pronoun moves around: “se pavonea”, “está pavoneándose”, “no te pavonees”. It describes showing off with your body and manner as much as with words.
Also said pavonear
Pavonearse
in real sentences
-
Él se está pavoneando.
He’s swaggering.
Tatoeba, sentence by albrusgher, translation by sacredceltic, CC BY 2.0 FR
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El portavoz entró pavoneandose en el auditorio.
The speaker swaggered into the lecture hall.
Tatoeba, sentence by albrusgher, translation by carlosalberto, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Pavonearse
come from?
English Wiktionary builds it from “pavón”, an older word for peacock, plus the verb ending “-ear”, so it means acting like a peacock with its tail spread. The bird is the whole picture; the verb has no recorded first date.
Mistakes learners make with Pavonearse
Dropping the reflexive pronoun. “Él pavonea” sounds incomplete; people say “él se pavonea”.
Other Spanish idioms like Pavonearse
Spot a mistake in Pavonearse
?
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