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ITALIAN VERB

avere paura

to be afraid

  • #122 most used
  • Irregular -ere verb
  • Past participle: avuto paura
  • Gerund: avendo paura

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. io I am afraid
  2. tu you are afraid
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she is afraid
  4. noi we are afraid
  5. voi you all are afraid
  6. loro they are afraid

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

  1. io I was afraid
  2. tu you were afraid
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she was afraid
  4. noi we were afraid
  5. voi you all were afraid
  6. loro they were afraid

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. io I used to be afraid
  2. tu you used to be afraid
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she used to be afraid
  4. noi we used to be afraid
  5. voi you all used to be afraid
  6. loro they used to be afraid

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

  1. io I will be afraid
  2. tu you will be afraid
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she will be afraid
  4. noi we will be afraid
  5. voi you all will be afraid
  6. loro they will be afraid

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

  1. io I would be afraid
  2. tu you would be afraid
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she would be afraid
  4. noi we would be afraid
  5. voi you all would be afraid
  6. loro they would be afraid

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

  1. io (that) I be afraid
  2. tu (that) you be afraid
  3. lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she be afraid
  4. noi (that) we be afraid
  5. voi (that) you all be afraid
  6. loro (that) they be afraid

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders: tu, Lei, noi, voi

  1. tu be afraid!
  2. Lei be afraid! (formal)
  3. noi be afraid! (let’s)
  4. voi be afraid! (all of you)

How to use avere paura

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Ho paura di volare, prendo il treno.

    I'm afraid of flying, I take the train.

  2. Past

    Ho avuto paura quando ho sentito quel rumore.

    I got scared when I heard that noise.

  3. Imperfect

    Da piccolo avevo paura del buio.

    As a child I was afraid of the dark.

  4. Future

    Non avrai paura da sola in casa?

    Won't you be scared alone in the house?

  5. Conditional

    Avrei paura di guidare con questa nebbia.

    I'd be afraid to drive in this fog.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Mi dispiace che tu abbia paura dei cani.

    I'm sorry you're afraid of dogs.

  7. Imperative

    Non abbiate paura, il cane è buonissimo.

    Don't be afraid, the dog is really gentle.

Good to know

  • Avere paura di: ho paura dei cani, ho paura di volare.
  • Avere paura che takes the subjunctive: ho paura che piova.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -ere verb.