When you're just starting out in Spanish, it's good to learn simple words for feelings. Temeroso means 'fearful' or 'scared'. You can use it to describe someone who feels fear. For example, if a small child is afraid of the dark, you could say they are temeroso.
§ Understanding 'Temeroso'
The Spanish adjective 'temeroso' means 'fearful' or 'apprehensive'. It's used to describe someone who is feeling fear or showing signs of it. Think of it as expressing a state of being afraid or worried about something.
- Spanish Word
- temeroso (adjective)
- Definition
- Feeling or showing fear or apprehension.
§ How to Use 'Temeroso' in Sentences
When you use 'temeroso', you need to make sure it agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes. Just like most Spanish adjectives, it has four forms:
- Temeroso: Masculine singular (e.g., el niño temeroso - the fearful boy)
- Temerosa: Feminine singular (e.g., la niña temerosa - the fearful girl)
- Temerosos: Masculine plural (e.g., los niños temerosos - the fearful boys)
- Temerosas: Feminine plural (e.g., las niñas temerosas - the fearful girls)
Let's look at some examples to see how it works in practice:
El perro estaba muy temeroso después de la tormenta. (The dog was very fearful after the storm.)
Ella se sentía temerosa de hablar en público. (She felt apprehensive about speaking in public.)
Los niños estaban temerosos de la oscuridad. (The children were fearful of the dark.)
Las víctimas estaban temerosas de represalias. (The victims were fearful of reprisals.)
§ Common Verbs with 'Temeroso'
You'll often see 'temeroso' used with verbs like 'estar' (to be) or 'sentirse' (to feel) to describe a current state of fear or apprehension. For example:
Me siento temerosa antes del examen. (I feel apprehensive before the exam.)
Estaba temeroso de perder su trabajo. (He was fearful of losing his job.)
§ Prepositions with 'Temeroso'
When 'temeroso' is followed by a preposition to indicate what someone is fearful of, the most common preposition is 'de' (of/about). This is similar to how we might say 'fearful of' or 'apprehensive about' in English.
Era temeroso de las alturas. (He was fearful of heights.)
Estamos temerosos de las consecuencias. (We are apprehensive about the consequences.)
How Formal Is It?
"El inversor se mostró aprensivo ante la volatilidad del mercado. (The investor was apprehensive about the market's volatility.)"
"El niño estaba asustado por la tormenta. (The child was scared by the storm.)"
"Después de ver esa película, me quedé cagado de miedo. (After watching that movie, I was shitting myself with fear.)"
"Mi perrito es muy miedoso con los ruidos fuertes. (My puppy is very fearful of loud noises.)"
"Estaba acojonado de que me descubrieran. (I was terrified they'd discover me.)"
Grammar to Know
Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.
El niño temeroso (The fearful boy) / La niña temerosa (The fearful girl) / Los niños temerosos (The fearful boys) / Las niñas temerosas (The fearful girls).
The adjective 'temeroso' can be used with the verb 'estar' to describe a temporary state of fear or apprehension.
Está temeroso por el examen (He is fearful because of the exam).
The adjective 'temeroso' can also be used with the verb 'ser' to describe a more inherent or characteristic quality of being fearful.
Es un perro temeroso de los ruidos fuertes (He is a dog fearful of loud noises).
The preposition 'de' often follows 'temeroso' to indicate what someone is afraid of.
Estoy temeroso de la oscuridad (I am fearful of the dark).
When 'temeroso' is used as an adverb, it becomes 'temerosamente' and describes how an action is performed.
Caminó temerosamente por el bosque (He walked fearfully through the forest).
Examples by Level
El niño está temeroso de la oscuridad.
The boy is fearful of the dark.
Ella se siente temerosa cuando está sola en casa.
She feels afraid when she is alone at home.
Soy temeroso de hablar en público.
I am afraid of speaking in public.
Los perros pequeños son a veces temerosos de los perros grandes.
Small dogs are sometimes fearful of big dogs.
¿Estás temeroso de la araña?
Are you afraid of the spider?
Mi gato es temeroso de los ruidos fuertes.
My cat is scared of loud noises.
No seas temeroso; todo estará bien.
Don't be afraid; everything will be fine.
Los estudiantes estaban temerosos del examen.
The students were fearful of the exam.
El niño estaba temeroso de la oscuridad.
The boy was fearful of the dark.
Se sentía temeroso antes de su examen final.
He felt apprehensive before his final exam.
Los animales salvajes son a menudo temerosos de los humanos.
Wild animals are often afraid of humans.
Ella era muy temerosa de hablar en público.
She was very fearful of public speaking.
No estés temeroso de pedir ayuda si la necesitas.
Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it.
El perro temeroso se escondió debajo de la mesa.
The timid dog hid under the table.
Sus ojos temerosos miraban a la puerta.
His fearful eyes looked at the door.
Estaba temeroso de que no pudiera terminar el trabajo a tiempo.
He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to finish the work on time.
Common Collocations
Common Phrases
Estaba temeroso de hablar en público.
He was fearful of speaking in public.
Ella se sintió temerosa ante la oscuridad.
She felt fearful in the dark.
Los niños estaban temerosos de la tormenta.
The children were fearful of the storm.
Tenía una mirada temerosa cuando vio la araña.
He had a fearful look when he saw the spider.
Su voz sonaba temerosa.
Her voice sounded fearful.
No seas temeroso de preguntar.
Don't be afraid to ask. (Literally: Don't be fearful of asking.)
Un animal temeroso se esconde.
A fearful animal hides.
Se mostraba temeroso ante lo desconocido.
He showed himself to be fearful of the unknown.
Era un hombre temeroso de perder su trabajo.
He was a man fearful of losing his job.
La actitud temerosa no le ayudó.
The fearful attitude didn't help him.
Grammar Patterns
Idioms & Expressions
"Ser un gallina"
To be a chicken (coward)
No seas gallina, salta. (Don't be a chicken, jump.)
informal"Temblar como un flan"
To tremble like a jelly (be very nervous or scared)
Estaba temblando como un flan antes del examen. (I was trembling like a jelly before the exam.)
neutral"Ponerse los pelos de punta"
To make one's hair stand on end (to be very scared or creeped out)
Esa película me puso los pelos de punta. (That movie made my hair stand on end.)
neutral"Estar acojonado/a"
To be scared stiff (vulgar, use with caution)
Estaba acojonado con el ruido. (I was scared stiff by the noise.)
informal"No tener dos dedos de frente"
Not to have two fingers of forehead (to be stupid or foolish, often related to not being careful)
El que no lleva casco no tiene dos dedos de frente. (Whoever doesn't wear a helmet doesn't have two fingers of forehead.)
informal"Verle las orejas al lobo"
To see the wolf's ears (to realize danger is close)
Cuando vi las facturas, le vi las orejas al lobo. (When I saw the bills, I saw the wolf's ears.)
neutral"Quitarse un peso de encima"
To take a weight off one's shoulders (to relieve a burden, often fear or worry)
Confesar la verdad me quitó un peso de encima. (Confessing the truth took a weight off my shoulders.)
neutral"Morirse de miedo"
To die of fear (to be extremely scared)
Me moría de miedo en la casa abandonada. (I was dying of fear in the abandoned house.)
neutral"Con el corazón en un puño"
With one's heart in a fist (to be very anxious or fearful)
Esperaba las noticias con el corazón en un puño. (I waited for the news with my heart in a fist.)
neutral"Estar con el alma en vilo"
To have one's soul in suspense (to be on edge, anxious)
Estábamos con el alma en vilo esperando el resultado. (We were on edge waiting for the result.)
formalSentence Patterns
Estar + temeroso/a de + sustantivo
El niño estaba temeroso de la oscuridad. (The child was fearful of the dark.)
Estar + temeroso/a de + infinitivo
Ella está temerosa de hablar en público. (She is afraid to speak in public.)
Ser + una persona temerosa
Mi hermana siempre ha sido una persona temerosa. (My sister has always been a fearful person.)
Mirada temerosa
Me dio una mirada temerosa cuando le pregunté. (He gave me a fearful look when I asked him.)
Actuar de manera temerosa
No deberías actuar de manera tan temerosa. (You shouldn't act so fearfully.)
Voz temerosa
Su voz era temerosa cuando contó lo que pasó. (Her voice was fearful when she told what happened.)
Sentirse temeroso/a por + sustantivo
Se sentía temeroso por su futuro. (He felt fearful about his future.)
Estado temeroso
Estaba en un estado temeroso después del accidente. (He was in a fearful state after the accident.)
How to Use It
When talking about someone being fearful or apprehensive, temeroso is a great adjective to use. It often implies a prolonged state of fear rather than a fleeting one. For example, you might say, 'Ella siempre ha sido una persona temerosa de la oscuridad' (She has always been a person fearful of the dark). You can also use it to describe someone's actions or expressions that show fear, such as 'Miró con ojos temerosos' (He looked with fearful eyes).
A common mistake is to confuse temeroso with asustado. While both relate to fear, asustado usually describes a temporary state of being scared or startled, often by a specific event. For instance, you would say, 'El niño estaba asustado por el trueno' (The child was scared by the thunder). On the other hand, temeroso suggests a more inherent or ongoing sense of apprehension. Think of asustado as 'scared' and temeroso as 'fearful' or 'apprehensive'.
Test Yourself 60 questions
Write a short sentence describing someone who is scared of heights, using the word 'temeroso'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
El hombre es temeroso de las alturas. (The man is fearful of heights.)
Imagine you are describing a shy child. Write a simple sentence using 'temeroso' to describe their behavior.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
La niña es un poco temerosa de hablar. (The girl is a little timid to speak.)
Complete the sentence: 'Mi perro es ___ cuando hay tormentas.' (My dog is ___ when there are storms.)
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Mi perro es temeroso cuando hay tormentas. (My dog is fearful when there are storms.)
¿Por qué no quiere el niño entrar al agua?
Read this passage:
El niño no quiere entrar al agua. Está temeroso de los peces grandes. Su mamá le dice: 'No te preocupes, los peces no te harán daño.'
¿Por qué no quiere el niño entrar al agua?
The passage states that 'Está temeroso de los peces grandes.' which means he is fearful of big fish.
The passage states that 'Está temeroso de los peces grandes.' which means he is fearful of big fish.
¿Qué hace la gata cuando hay ruidos fuertes?
Read this passage:
La gata se esconde debajo de la cama. Ella es muy temerosa con los ruidos fuertes. Cuando el perro ladra, ella siempre se asusta.
¿Qué hace la gata cuando hay ruidos fuertes?
The passage says 'Ella es muy temerosa con los ruidos fuertes. Cuando el perro ladra, ella siempre se asusta.' and 'La gata se esconde debajo de la cama.'
The passage says 'Ella es muy temerosa con los ruidos fuertes. Cuando el perro ladra, ella siempre se asusta.' and 'La gata se esconde debajo de la cama.'
¿Cómo es María cuando tiene que hablar en público?
Read this passage:
María es una chica un poco temerosa de hablar en público. Ella prefiere escribir sus ideas. Pero con sus amigos, ella habla mucho.
¿Cómo es María cuando tiene que hablar en público?
The passage states, 'María es una chica un poco temerosa de hablar en público.'
The passage states, 'María es una chica un poco temerosa de hablar en público.'
This sentence means 'The dog is fearful.' We arrange the words to form a simple subject-verb-adjective structure.
This sentence means 'She is afraid of the water.' Remember to match the adjective ending to the subject's gender.
This sentence means 'Don't be afraid to speak.' We use 'seas' as the tú form of 'ser' in the negative command.
The boy was scared of the dark.
I feel apprehensive before the exam.
Don't be afraid to speak.
Read this aloud:
Estaba un poco temeroso al principio.
Focus: te-me-RO-so
You said:
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Read this aloud:
¿Te sientes temeroso de viajar solo?
Focus: te-ME-ro-so
You said:
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Read this aloud:
Aunque temeroso, decidió intentarlo.
Focus: te-me-RO-so
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Imagine you are hiking in a new place and you hear a strange noise. Describe how you feel using the word 'temeroso'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Estaba caminando por el bosque y escuché un ruido extraño. Me sentí un poco temeroso, no sabía qué era.
Write a short sentence about someone who is afraid of dogs, using 'temeroso'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Mi hermana es un poco temerosa de los perros grandes.
Complete the sentence: 'El niño estaba muy _______ porque la película de terror era escalofriante.'
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
El niño estaba muy temeroso porque la película de terror era escalofriante.
¿Por qué María se siente temerosa, según sus amigos?
Read this passage:
María no le gustan los gatos. Cuando ve un gato negro, siempre se pone un poco nerviosa. Sus amigos dicen que es temerosa de los gatos, pero ella dice que solo no le gusta el color negro.
¿Por qué María se siente temerosa, según sus amigos?
El pasaje dice que 'Sus amigos dicen que es temerosa de los gatos'.
El pasaje dice que 'Sus amigos dicen que es temerosa de los gatos'.
¿Cómo se sentía el perro?
Read this passage:
El perro pequeño ladraba mucho a la puerta. No sabía quién estaba afuera. El dueño del perro pensó que el perro estaba temeroso de la persona desconocida.
¿Cómo se sentía el perro?
El dueño pensó que el perro estaba temeroso de la persona desconocida.
El dueño pensó que el perro estaba temeroso de la persona desconocida.
¿Por qué Carlos se siente temeroso?
Read this passage:
Carlos va a una entrevista de trabajo importante. Se siente un poco temeroso porque es su primera entrevista. Él espera obtener el trabajo.
¿Por qué Carlos se siente temeroso?
El pasaje dice que 'Se siente un poco temeroso porque es su primera entrevista'.
El pasaje dice que 'Se siente un poco temeroso porque es su primera entrevista'.
This sentence describes the child being afraid of the dark. 'El niño' (The child) is the subject, 'estaba' (was) is the verb, and 'temeroso de la oscuridad' (fearful of the darkness) is the predicate.
This sentence means there is no reason to feel fearful in this situation. 'No hay razón' (There is no reason) is followed by 'para sentirse temeroso' (to feel fearful) and 'en esta situación' (in this situation).
This sentence describes the woman's gaze as fearful. 'La mirada' (The gaze) is the subject, 'de la mujer' (of the woman) specifies whose gaze, and 'era temerosa' (was fearful) describes it.
A pesar de su valentía en el campo de batalla, el soldado se sentía ___ ante la inminente misión de rescate en territorio enemigo.
The context implies a feeling of fear or apprehension despite bravery, making 'temeroso' the best fit.
La joven actriz, a pesar de haber ensayado mil veces, se sentía ___ antes de salir al escenario por primera vez frente a una gran audiencia.
The phrase 'a pesar de haber ensayado mil veces' indicates a contrast, suggesting apprehension, so 'temerosa' is appropriate.
El escalador, aunque experimentado, era ___ de las impredecibles condiciones meteorológicas en la cumbre de la montaña.
Being 'temeroso de' implies fear or apprehension about something. Here, it's about the unpredictable weather conditions.
Los ciudadanos estaban ___ de un posible desabastecimiento de alimentos debido a la huelga de transportistas.
The word 'temerosos' expresses the fear or apprehension of a negative outcome, which fits the context of a potential food shortage.
Era ___ de expresar su opinión abiertamente en la reunión, por miedo a las represalias de la gerencia.
The phrase 'por miedo a las represalias' directly indicates fear, making 'temeroso' the correct choice.
Incluso los animales más grandes pueden ser ___ cuando se enfrentan a un peligro desconocido.
The sentence suggests that even strong animals can feel fear when facing an unknown danger, so 'temerosos' is suitable.
Choose the best synonym for 'temeroso'.
'Ansioso' (anxious) is the closest synonym to 'temeroso' (fearful) as both imply a state of unease or apprehension.
Which sentence correctly uses 'temeroso'?
'Temeroso' is an adjective that describes a state of being fearful. The correct usage here is 'estar temeroso de algo' (to be fearful of something).
What is the opposite of 'temeroso'?
'Intrépido' means intrepid or fearless, which is the direct opposite of 'temeroso' (fearful).
A person who is 'temeroso' often takes many risks.
A 'temeroso' person is characterized by fear or apprehension, which typically leads them to avoid risks, not take many.
The word 'temeroso' can describe a person who is cautious.
While 'temeroso' primarily means fearful, it can also imply a sense of caution due to apprehension, making this statement true.
If someone is 'temeroso', they are always angry.
'Temeroso' describes a feeling of fear or apprehension, not anger. These are distinct emotions.
The sailor was not fearful despite the storm.
The investors' fearful attitude affected the stock market.
Even though he was naturally fearful, he faced the challenge bravely.
Read this aloud:
Describe una situación en la que alguien podría sentirse temeroso.
Focus: temeroso
You said:
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Read this aloud:
¿Cómo reaccionas cuando te sientes temeroso en una situación inesperada?
Focus: temeroso
You said:
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Read this aloud:
Crees que ser temeroso es siempre una debilidad o puede ser una fortaleza?
Focus: temeroso
You said:
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This sentence describes how an uncertain future can make someone feel fearful with every step they take.
This sentence illustrates that even with outward bravery, a fearful feeling can creep in when one is alone.
This sentence highlights how fear of retaliation can prevent witnesses from speaking out.
The navigator was not fearful despite the storm.
Her voice was shaky and fearful when confessing.
The team's fearful attitude hinted at defeat.
Read this aloud:
Describe un momento en el que, a pesar de sentirte temeroso, lograste superar un obstáculo significativo.
Focus: temeroso, superar, obstáculo
You said:
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Read this aloud:
¿Crees que la sociedad actual fomenta una mentalidad temerosa o audaz ante lo desconocido? Justifica tu respuesta.
Focus: fomenta, audaz, desconocido, justifica
You said:
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Read this aloud:
Imagina que eres un líder. ¿Cómo abordarías la situación si tu equipo se muestra temeroso ante un proyecto arriesgado?
Focus: líder, abordarías, arriesgado
You said:
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/ 60 correct
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Example
Estaba temeroso de lo que pudiera pasar después.
Related Content
This Word in Other Languages
More emotions words
a diferencia de
B1Unlike; in contrast to.
abatido
B1Feeling or showing great sadness or discouragement; dejected.
abatimiento
B2State of being low in spirits; dejection or depression.
abatir
B1To make someone feel dejected or disheartened.
abierto/a de mente
B2Open-minded; willing to consider new ideas; unprejudiced.
aborrecer
B1To regard with disgust and hatred; to loathe.
abrazar
A1To put one's arms around someone as a sign of affection.
abrazo
A1An act of holding someone closely in one's arms; a hug.
abrumador
B1Overpowering; very great or intense.
abrumar
B1To overwhelm (someone) with a large amount of something.
