恐怕 kǒngpà be afraid
be afraid; to fear; I'm afraid that...
How to remember 恐怕: 恐 fearful + 怕 fear = be afraid.
Characters
How it is used
- 'I'm afraid (that)…' - softens a likely-unwelcome guess or bad news - 恐怕来不及了 (kǒngpà láibují le) I'm afraid we won't make it in time.
- An adverb of speaker attitude, not real fear; it hedges a pessimistic estimate politely.
- Contrast 害怕 (hàipà, to be afraid/scared, a genuine emotion): 恐怕 expresses worried supposition, close to 'probably, unfortunately'.
Example sentences
- 恐怕不行。 Kǒngpà bùxíng.I'm afraid not.
- 恐怕你误解我了。 Kǒngpà nǐ wùjiě wǒ le.I'm afraid you misunderstood me.
- 恐怕我现在得走了。 Kǒngpà wǒ xiànzài děi zǒu le.I'm afraid I have to go now.