You Are Afraid in Spanish | Say It Naturally Each Time

In Spanish, “tienes miedo” fits most cases, while “estás asustado/a” suits sudden scares and “me da miedo” names the trigger.

You can translate “you are afraid” a few ways in Spanish, and each choice sends a slightly different signal. Pick the wrong one and you may sound odd, too formal, or like you’re describing a personality trait instead of a moment. Pick the right one and you’ll sound calm, clear, and native-like.

This guide gives you the main phrases, the grammar that sits behind them, and lots of plug-and-play sentence patterns. You’ll also get quick fixes for common mistakes, plus a checklist you can reuse the next time you need to say you’re scared, worried, or uneasy.

What “Afraid” Can Mean In Real Speech

In English, “afraid” spans a wide range: a quick jolt (a loud bang), a steady fear (flying), a social worry (talking to a boss), or a polite softener (“I’m afraid I can’t”). Spanish splits those shades into different structures, so you choose the one that matches your moment.

Start by asking yourself one fast question: is this a feeling you have right now, or a fear you carry about a thing or event? If it’s “right now,” Spanish often leans toward an “estar” feeling. If it’s “about a thing,” Spanish often leans toward “miedo” with “tener” or “dar.”

You Are Afraid in Spanish With The Right Tone

If you want a safe, daily translation, you’ll use one of these three:

• Tienes miedo (informal “you”): you feel fear about something.
• Usted tiene miedo (formal “you”): same idea, respectful tone.
• Estás asustado / asustada: you’re scared, often from something sudden.

There’s a fourth option you’ll hear a lot: Te da miedo (“it gives you fear”). It’s perfect when you want to name the trigger, like spiders, heights, or scary movies.

Pick “Tener Miedo” For Ongoing Fears

Tener miedo means “to have fear.” It’s the go-to for fears tied to an object, situation, or possibility. You can keep it short, or add what you’re afraid of.

• Tienes miedo. = You’re afraid.
• Tienes miedo de la oscuridad. = You’re afraid of the dark.
• Tienes miedo a volar. = You’re afraid to fly.

Both de and a can introduce the cause of fear with miedo, and usage varies by region and structure. The Real Academia Española notes that the complement can go with “a” or “de” with miedo, and it also points out that when you use que, you keep the preposition (more on that soon).

Pick “Estar Asustado/a” For A Sudden Scare

Asustado/a is a state: you got scared. It often fits a quick reaction, a shock, or a tense moment that’s happening right now.

• Estás asustado. (to a man) / Estás asustada. (to a woman)
• Está asustado. (formal “you”) / Están asustados/as. (you all)

Spanish agrees adjectives with gender and number. If you’re talking to a mixed group, asustados is standard. If it’s all women, asustadas fits.

Pick “Darle Miedo” When The Trigger Is The Star

Dar miedo focuses on what causes fear. It’s handy when you want to say what freaks someone out without framing it as a personal weakness.

• Te da miedo la noche. = The night scares you.
• Me dan miedo las arañas. = Spiders scare me.
• Nos da miedo volar. = Flying scares us.

If you want a clean definition of miedo as “fear,” the RAE dictionary entry for miedo is a reliable reference point.

Build Your Sentence In Seconds

Once you choose your base phrase, the rest is mix-and-match. Use these patterns like Lego bricks.

Pattern 1: “Tienes Miedo” + De/A + Noun

This is the most direct way to say what scares someone.

• Tienes miedo de los perros.
• Tienes miedo a las alturas.
• Usted tiene miedo del agua.

Pattern 2: “Tienes Miedo” + De/A + Infinitive

Use an infinitive when the fear is about doing an action.

• Tienes miedo de hablar en público.
• Tienes miedo a conducir de noche.

Pattern 3: “Tienes Miedo” + De/A Que + Subjunctive

This pattern fits fears about something that might happen. The Cervantes curriculum lists this as a standard learner function: tengo miedo de que + subjuntivo. In daily speech, you’ll hear it with de que and a que.

• Tienes miedo de que sea tarde.
• Tienes miedo a que te juzguen.
• Tenemos miedo de que llueva.

Pattern 4: “Te Da Miedo” + Noun Or Infinitive

This is a smooth way to name the trigger.

• Te da miedo la oscuridad.
• Te da miedo nadar.
• Le da miedo que lo miren.

If you ever wonder which Spanish words map to English “afraid,” Cambridge’s bilingual entry lists common options like asustado and tener miedo in its English–Spanish “afraid” translation.

Quick Choice Table For The Phrases You’ll Actually Use

This table is your fast picker. Use it when you’re about to speak and you want the right tone.

What You Want To Say	Spanish Option	Notes On Use
You feel afraid (general)	Tienes miedo	Works in most settings; add de/a + cause if needed.
You feel afraid (formal)	Usted tiene miedo	Same meaning; use with strangers or service settings.
You’re scared right now	Estás asustado/a	Often for sudden scares, tense moments, fresh reactions.
That thing scares you	Te da miedo + cosa	Focuses on the trigger; great for lists of fears.
You’re afraid to do something	Tienes miedo de/a + infinitivo	Fear tied to an action: hablar, volar, conducir.
You fear something might happen	Tienes miedo de/a que + subj.	Use subjunctive after que: “sea”, “pase”, “lleguen”.
You’re a bit nervous or uneasy	Te da cosa / Me da cosa	Colloquial in some regions; can mean mild discomfort.
You’re terrified	Estás muerto/a de miedo	Strong; dramatic tone. Use with care.
You’re frightened (more formal word)	Estás temeroso/a	Less common in daily chat; can sound literary.

Pronunciation Tips That Stop Awkward Pauses

Good word choice helps, and clean pronunciation does too. Here are a few high-payoff points.

Stress The Right Syllable

• mie-do: the stress lands on mie. Say it as one smooth unit, not “me-eh-do.”
• a-sus-TA-do: stress on TA. Keep the do/da soft at the end.
• TIE-nes: stress on TIE. The ie is one sound, like “yeh.”

Link Words When You Speak

Spanish flows when you connect the end of one word to the start of the next. Try reading these out loud as one string:

• tie-nes-mie-do-de
• es-tas-a-sus-ta-da
• te-da-mie-do

Common Mistakes And The Clean Fix

These slips show up all the time with learners. Fix them once and you’ll feel more confident each time you speak.

Mixing Up “Ser” And “Estar”

Soy asustado can sound like “I’m a scared person by nature,” or even “I’m easily frightened.” If you mean “I’m scared right now,” go with Estoy asustado/a. When you’re talking to “you,” that’s Estás asustado/a.

Forgetting Gender And Number

Adjectives change with who you’re talking about: asustado (man), asustada (woman), asustados (group), asustadas (all women). If you’re unsure, switch to tienes miedo and you avoid the gender choice completely.

Dropping The Preposition Before “Que”

English speakers often say “por miedo que…” or skip the preposition. Standard usage keeps it: por miedo a que or por miedo de que. The RAE’s note on miedo flags this point when the complement is a clause introduced by que (it connects with the idea of queísmo). The easiest fix: if you see que, keep a or de right before it.

Overusing “Temer” In Casual Talk

Temer is real Spanish, and it means “to fear,” but in day-to-day chat many speakers reach for tener miedo or dar miedo. If you use temer, it can feel formal or literary depending on the setting. Save it for set phrases like temer por alguien (“to fear for someone”) or when you want that tone.

Situations You Can Reuse Word For Word

Memorize a few ready-made lines and you’ll stop translating in your head.

When You Need To Admit Fear

• Tengo miedo. = I’m afraid.
• Me da miedo decirlo. = I’m scared to say it.
• Me da miedo que salga mal. = I’m afraid it’ll go wrong.

When You Want To Ask Someone If They’re Afraid

• ¿Tienes miedo? (informal)
• ¿Tiene miedo? (formal)
• ¿Te da miedo? = Does it scare you?

When You Want To Reassure Someone

• No tengas miedo. = Don’t be afraid.
• Tranquilo/a, estoy aquí. = Calm down, I’m here.
• Respira conmigo. = Breathe with me.

Second Table: Match The English Prompt To A Spanish Structure

Use this when English “afraid” is hiding a different idea, like worry, a polite softener, or a fear about a possible event.

English Prompt	Spanish Structure	Sample Line
You’re afraid of X	Tener miedo de/a + sustantivo	Tienes miedo de los perros.
You’re afraid to do X	Tener miedo de/a + infinitivo	Tienes miedo de hablar.
You’re afraid that…	Tener miedo de/a que + subj.	Tienes miedo de que pase algo.
X scares you	Dar miedo + a + persona	Las arañas te dan miedo.
You got scared	Asustarse (pretérito)	Te asustaste.
You’re scared right now	Estar asustado/a	Estás asustada.
I’m afraid (polite softener)	Me temo que…	Me temo que no puedo.

A Mini Checklist You Can Use Before You Speak

Run this quick list in your head and you’ll land on a natural phrase fast.

1. Is it a sudden scare? Say estás asustado/a.
2. Is it a general fear? Say tienes miedo.
3. Do you want to name the trigger? Say te da miedo + the thing.
4. Is it about what might happen? Say tienes miedo de/a que + subjunctive.
5. Do you need formal “you”? Swap to usted tiene miedo.

Say a few of these lines out loud and you’ll feel the rhythm. Then you’ll stop searching for words when a real moment hits.