01
sich fürchten vor
to be afraid of
To be afraid of a specific person, thing, or situation.
example
Mein kleiner Bruder fürchtet sich vor großen Hunden.
My little brother is afraid of big dogs.
fürchten
to fear
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Two important structures
Remember two central constructions: 'sich fürchten vor + Dativ' (to be afraid of + dative) expresses fear of a concrete thing. 'Fürchten, dass ...' (to fear that ...) introduces a subordinate clause and describes a worry or fear about a situation.
EXAMPLE
Viele Menschen fürchten sich vor Spinnen.
Many people are afraid of spiders.
Reflexive with preposition
When someone is afraid of a specific thing or person, 'fürchten' (to fear) is used reflexively with 'sich' and the preposition 'vor' + dative. The reflexive pronoun is obligatory here.
EXAMPLE
Sie fürchtet sich vor der Prüfung am Montag.
She is afraid of the exam on Monday.
Polite introduction
The phrase 'Ich fürchte, ...' (I'm afraid ...) is often used in everyday language as a polite introduction to bad news or a refusal. It expresses regret.
EXAMPLE
Ich fürchte, ich kann Ihnen dabei nicht helfen.
I'm afraid I can't help you with that.
Compare with
fürchten vs hoffen
to hope
'hoffen' and 'fürchten' both describe an expectation about the future, but with opposite feelings. With 'hoffen', you want something good to happen. With 'fürchten', you expect or fear something bad. Both words can be used well with a 'dass' clause. 'Ich hoffe, dass er kommt' (I hope he comes) is positive. 'Ich fürchte, dass er nicht kommt' (I fear he is not coming) is negative and shows concern.
fürchten
Frau Schneider fürchtet, dass der Termin zu lange dauert.
Ms. Schneider fears that the appointment will take too long.
hoffen
Wir hoffen, dass der Zug heute pünktlich kommt.
We hope that the train arrives on time today.
In real life
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