"J'ai peur de ..." also means "regret" and "unwillingness" (as in English)

J. S.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

"J'ai peur de ..." also means "regret" and "unwillingness" (as in English)

I'm afraid I have to leave -> J'ai peur de devoir partir

I'm not afraid of work -> Je n'ai pas peur du travail

(All the examples at present are only the "Filled with fear; frightened" meaning of afraid, which is misleading.)

Asked 4 years ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Thank you for pointing this out Jessica, but there are a few examples in the lesson indicating that you can just fear something as a worry rather than an intense fright -

J'ai peur de me perdre = I am scared of getting lost 

Vous avez peur d'échouer = You are afraid to fail

Bonne Continuation!

J. S. asked:

"J'ai peur de ..." also means "regret" and "unwillingness" (as in English)

I'm afraid I have to leave -> J'ai peur de devoir partir

I'm not afraid of work -> Je n'ai pas peur du travail

(All the examples at present are only the "Filled with fear; frightened" meaning of afraid, which is misleading.)

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
I'll be right with you...