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"Timid" is an adjective which is often translated as "tímido", and "shy" is an adjective which is also often translated as "tímido". Learn more about the difference between "timid" and "shy" below.
timid(
tih
-
mihd
)An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
1. (shy)
b. huraño
Why is your sister so timid? She always hides in her room when I come to visit.¿Por qué es tan huraña tu hermana? Siempre se esconde en su cuarto cuando visito.
c. asustadizo
The timid rabbit flitted away as I approached it.El conejo asustadizo se esfumó cuando me acerqué a él.
shy(
shay
)An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
1. (timid)
a. tímido
My sister is very shy; she never talks in class.Mi hermana es muy tímida; nunca habla en clase.
b. penoso (Andes) (Central America) (Cuba) (Mexico)
Regionalism used in Central America: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama
Regionalism used in Cuba
Regionalism used in Mexico
Don't be so shy. Nobody will make fun of you.No seas tan penoso. Nadie se va a burlar de ti.
c. vergonzoso
He becomes very shy when strangers talk to him.Se pone muy vergonzoso cuando los desconocidos le hablan.
2. (colloquial) (short of money)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
We're still a buck shy.Todavía debemos un dólar.
You're shy by two dollars.Te faltan dos dólares.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
3. (to panic)
a. asustarse
The dogs shied when their owner started to yell.Los perros se asustaron cuando su dueño les empezó a gritar.
b. dar un respingo
The horse shied when it saw the wolf.El caballo dio un respingo cuando vio el lobo.
