EN
We consider complex-valued functions f ∈ L¹(ℝ), and prove sufficient conditions in terms of f to ensure that the Fourier transform f̂ belongs to one of the Lipschitz classes Lip(α) and lip(α) for some 0 < α ≤ 1, or to one of the Zygmund classes zyg(α) and zyg(α) for some 0 < α ≤ 2. These sufficient conditions are best possible in the sense that they are also necessary in the case of real-valued functions f for which either xf(x) ≥ 0 or f(x) ≥ 0 almost everywhere.