tenía miedo
/tenia mjedo/from spelling rules
To say "I was scared" in Spanish, you use tenía miedo.
The phrase tenía miedo is used to describe a state of fear experienced in the past. If you want to specify the source of your fear, you use the preposition de after the phrase, as in tenía miedo de la oscuridad (I was afraid of the dark).
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, tenía miedo translates to "I had fear".
How does it change in a sentence?
The form tenía miedo uses the imperfect tense to describe an ongoing state of fear in the past.
Did you know?
- The English word 'meticulous' shares a distant ancestor with miedo. Both words stem from the Latin 'metus', which describes a sense of dread or apprehension.
- While tenía miedo describes a state of fear, Spanish speakers use the verb asustar to describe the sudden shock of being startled. To say you were suddenly scared, you would say me asusté.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, the phrase qué miedo is used not just to describe fear, but as a reaction to something creepy or unsettling, similar to how an English speaker might say 'how spooky'.
Examples in context
- Tom sabía que yo tenía miedo.Tom knew that I was scared.This sentence shows how to use tenía miedo to describe someone's state of being.Tatoeba #9511771 by hayastan, translation #6439425 by CK
- Layla tenía miedo y yo tenía miedo también.Layla was scared and I was scared, too.This sentence uses tenía miedo to describe the fear of two different people.Tatoeba #6092068 by AbMichael, translation #6088315 by OsoHombre
- He traído el paraguas porque tenía miedo de que lloviese.I brought my umbrella along, because I was scared it would rain.This sentence shows how to use tenía miedo to explain a reason for an action.Tatoeba #11373186 by NicoLXVI, translation #4833083 by derpapottamus
- La situación me hizo sentir mucho miedo.The situation made me feel very scared.
- ¡Me asusté tanto cuando vi esa araña enorme!I got so scared when I saw that huge spider!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Daniel are talking about a movie they watched.
- MaríaLa película era muy fuerte.The movie was very intense.
- DanielSí, yo tenía miedo durante la escena de terror.Yes, I was scared during the horror scene.
- María¿De verdad? Yo no tenía miedo.Really? I wasn't scared.
- DanielEres muy valiente, María.You are very brave, María.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries miedo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
