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Questions & Answers about Ik ben niet bang voor de toekomst.
Why does the sentence use voor when the English translation says "of"?
In Dutch, the word bang (afraid) is always followed by the fixed preposition voor when you are talking about a noun. Even though it translates to "afraid of", you can never say bang van.
Why is niet placed exactly where it is?
The word niet negates the adjective bang. When you want to negate a specific adjective in Dutch, niet goes immediately before it.
Is the word toekomst related to the verb komen (to come)?
Yes! Toekomst literally translates to something like "coming towards". It is made from toe (to/towards) and a form of komen (to come), which makes perfect sense for the word "future".
Can I use bang voor if I am afraid of an action, like "afraid of falling"?
No, bang voor is only used with nouns, like animals, people, or concepts like de toekomst. If you are afraid to do an action, you use the structure bang om te followed by the verb.