LA peur is a general state, whilst UNE peur is a particular fear, such as fear of spiders. It might be valuable to point this out in the lesson. I just today discovered this wrinkle.
La peur v. une peur
- « Back to Q&A Forum
- « Previous questionNext question »
Max K.Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
La peur v. une peur
This question relates to:French lesson "fear"
Asked 6 years ago
Bonjour Max !
This distinction is the same as in English between "fear" and "a fear of...".
I'm guessing that you're talking about the distinction between
J'ai peur des araignées.
I'm scared of spiders.
vs
J'ai une peur bleue des araignées.
I have a huge (literally "blue") fear of spiders.
I'm scared of spiders.
vs
J'ai une peur bleue des araignées.
I have a huge (literally "blue") fear of spiders.
I'd say the rule is you use "une peur" when you want to qualify the fear with an adjective.
I hope that's helpful!
Bonne journée !
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