I am afraid of
Use this to say 'It scares me.' The thing you are afraid of is the subject of the sentence. It's very common in everyday conversation.
A slightly more formal or intense way to say 'I fear.' It uses the verb 'temer' (to fear).
Means 'It frightens me.' It's very similar to 'Me da miedo' and is used interchangeably.
I am afraid of the dark.
Clowns scare my son.
I am afraid of heights, that's why I don't get on the roller coaster.
It frightens me to walk on this street at night.
Aren't you (all) afraid of traveling alone?
'Tengo miedo de' and 'Me da miedo' are universally understood and used. 'Me da miedo' is extremely common in casual, everyday speech.
The phrases are the same ('Tengo miedo de,' 'Me da miedo'). The only difference is the Castilian accent, such as a softer 'd' sound in 'miedo'.
'Me da miedo' is extremely common. You might also hear the colloquial expression 'me da cosa,' which can mean something gives you a weird or scary feeling.
While 'Tengo miedo' is standard, in very informal contexts, you might hear 'Me da julepe,' which is a slang term for being scared.
Similar to Mexico, 'Me da miedo' is very frequently used in daily conversation, sometimes even more than 'Tengo miedo de'.
Saying 'Estoy miedo de...' — This is a direct translation of 'I am afraid.' In Spanish, fear is something you 'have' (tener), not something you 'are' (ser/estar). The correct structure is 'Tengo miedo de...'. This applies to other feelings like hunger (tengo hambre) and thirst (tengo sed).
Forgetting the preposition 'de' or 'a'. — Don't say 'Tengo miedo la oscuridad.' You must use the preposition 'de' after 'tengo miedo' when followed by a noun or infinitive verb. Correct: 'Tengo miedo de la oscuridad.' Similarly, 'Le temo' requires 'a': 'Le temo a la oscuridad.'
Incorrect word order with 'Me da miedo'. — Learners often say 'Yo me da miedo las arañas.' The thing causing fear is the subject. The correct sentence is 'Las arañas me dan miedo' (Spiders give me fear). If the thing is singular, use 'da': 'La oscuridad me da miedo' (The dark gives me fear).
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