SpanishDictionary.com

QUICK ANSWER

"Be afraid" is a phrase which is often translated as "ten miedo", and "fear" is a noun which is often translated as "el miedo". Learn more about the difference between "be afraid" and "fear" below.

be afraid(

freyd

)

A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).

phrase

1. (imperative; used to address one person)

a. ten miedo

A word or phrase used to refer to the second person informal “tú” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., How are you?).

(informal)

A word or phrase that is singular (e.g., el gato).

(singular)

Be afraid, Josh. People say he's coming for you.Ten miedo, Josh. Dicen que viene por ti.

b. tenga miedo

A word or phrase used to refer to the second person formal “usted” by their conjugation or implied context (e.g., usted).

(formal)

A word or phrase that is singular (e.g., el gato).

(singular)

You will regret this day. Be afraid, Mr. Smith!Se arrepentirá de este día. ¡Tenga miedo, Sr. Smith!

2. (imperative; used to address multiple people)

a. tengan miedo

A word or phrase that is plural (e.g., los libros).

(plural)

It will soon be Halloween. Be afraid; be very afraid!Pronto será Halloween. ¡Tengan miedo; tengan mucho miedo!

An intransitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and does not require a direct object (e.g., Everybody please stand up.).

intransitive verb phrase

3. (to be scared)

a. tener miedo

When I was younger, I used to be afraid of the dark.Cuando era joven, le tenía miedo a la oscuridad.

b. temer

You shouldn't be afraid of him, son. He's not a real vampire.No debes temerle, hijo. No es un vampiro de verdad.

fear(

fihr

)

A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).

noun

1. (fright)

a. el miedo

(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(M)

He knew he should run from the bear, but fear paralyzed him.Sabía que debería correr del oso, pero el miedo lo paralizó.

2. (apprehension)

a. el temor

(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).

(M)

My worst fear was being a bad parent.Mi mayor temor era convertirme en un mal padre.

A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).

transitive verb

3. (to be afraid of)

a. tener miedo

I fear darkness and the unknown.Tengo miedo de la oscuridad y lo desconocido.

4. (to suspect)

a. temer

Nobody wants to believe it but I fear he's right.Nadie quiere creerlo, pero temo que tiene razón.

An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).

intransitive verb