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"to be afraid" in seven languages

Meaningto be afraid

Spanish

tener miedo

/teˈneɾ ˈmjedo/

other source · miedo ← Latin METUM 'fear'

French

avoir peur

/avwaʁ pœʁ/

inherited

Italian

avere paura

/aˈvere paˈura/

inherited

Through a spoken-Latin variant *PAVŪRA, hence the feminine.

Portuguese

ter medo

/teh ˈmedu/

other source · medo ← Latin METUM 'fear'

Romanian

se teme

/se ˈteme/

other source · Latin TIMĒRE 'to fear'

Everyday speech also says mi-e frică 'fear is to me'.

Catalan

tenir por

/təˈni pɔ/

inherited

Catalan por is feminine (la por), and its final r is silent.

English

be afraid

/bi əˈfɹeɪd/

other source · afraid: past participle of obsolete affray 'to frighten' (Anglo-French)

English → Italianto be afraidavere pauraNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: (Spanish miedo) meticulous, from METUS 'fear'.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

PAVŌREM‘fear, dread’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

All three 'have fear' instead of 'being afraid'. French and Italian keep PAVOR; Spanish took METUS, whose stressed open e became ie (miedo). Spanish pavor survives as a learned word for 'terror'.

English relatives: (Spanish miedo) meticulous, from METUS 'fear'

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In a sentence

  • esTengo miedo a los perros.
  • frJ'ai peur des chiens.
  • itHo paura dei cani.
  • ptTenho medo de cachorro.
  • roMă tem de câini.
  • caTinc por dels gossos.
  • enI'm afraid of dogs.

More words from the same Latin

More in Feelings

All Feelings words