恐怕【kǒngpà】

i'm afraid, i fear, probably, likely, concern, kongpa

A guess the speaker is uneasy about, "I'm afraid" or "probably", before the verb or at the head of the sentence: 。 is "I'm afraid it's going to rain".

HSK 4

AI-generated

Structure

[subject] + 恐怕 + [verb phrase]

恐怕 + [clause]

Description

恐怕 marks a guess, usually about something you'd rather didn't happen. It goes after the subject or in front of the whole sentence.

。

I'm afraid it's going to rain.

。

I'm afraid he won't make it in time.

Most 恐怕 sentences look ahead, so 要, 会 and 来不及 turn up with it often. It works for the past too, when you suspect something has already gone wrong.

。

I'm afraid he's already left.

Softening a refusal

恐怕 also takes the edge off bad news you are giving someone, the way "I'm afraid" does in English.

。

I'm afraid tomorrow won't work.

。

I'm afraid this will have to wait a bit.

With a number, 恐怕 is a cautious estimate and the worry can drop out of it.

。

This book must have about five hundred pages.

恐怕 or 怕

恐怕 is an adverb: it comments on a sentence and can't take an object. To say you fear or dislike something, use the verb 怕 or 害怕.

× 我恐怕狗 → 我怕狗
× 她恐怕考试 → 她害怕考试

Examples

。

I'm afraid it's going to rain.

。

I'm afraid he won't make it in time.

。

I'm afraid tomorrow won't work.

。

I'm afraid he's already left.

，。

It's so late – the shops are probably all closed.

。

I'm afraid this problem isn't that simple.

。

I'm afraid you'll have to go yourself.

。

This book must have about five hundred pages.

，。

There's too much traffic – I'm afraid we'll be late.

。

I doubt Anna will agree.

。

I'm afraid this will have to wait a bit.

。

The tickets have probably sold out already.

怎么会

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