Faire fi de: deliberate disregard in formal French
Understand faire fi de in French: deliberately disregard an objection or constraint. Practise its de construction and distinguish disregard from ignorance or cancellation.
In short
Faire fi de quelque chose means treating it as unimportant or disregarding it, often with a deliberate or dismissive implication. Faire fi des objections does not mean never hearing them, and it does not mean formally cancelling them. The expression is more elevated than ne pas tenir compte de.
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In commentary, faire fi de often evaluates a decision critically: the writer suggests something relevant has been brushed aside. That evaluation belongs to the writer. Reporting the phrase does not establish that the decision-maker actually understood every objection.
| French | Meaning |
|---|---|
| faire fi de cette réserve | disregard this reservation |
| faire fi des avertissements | disregard the warnings |
| faire fi du coût annoncé | disregard the announced cost |
| faire fi de l’expérience acquise | disregard the experience gained |
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
Separate the accusation from the evidence
A summary can preserve the force while attributing it: l’auteur reproche au projet de faire fi des besoins locaux. A neutral account might instead identify the omission demonstrated by the text. Avoid silently turning a critic’s accusation into an established psychological motive.
L’article reproche au comité d’avoir fait fi des réserves ; le compte rendu, lui, indique seulement qu’elles ont été discutées.
The article accuses the committee of disregarding reservations; the minutes themselves only say they were discussed.
Use the expression when its marked tone serves your purpose. In a factual procedural note, le calcul ne prend pas ce coût en compte may identify the omission more precisely. In an argument, explain why the disregarded constraint matters rather than relying on the expression’s disapproving force alone.