Breakdown of Sie hat Angst davor, dass die Spinne springt.
sie
she
Angst haben
to be afraid
dass
that
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
Questions & Answers about Sie hat Angst davor, dass die Spinne springt.
Why do we need the word davor here? Can't we just say Sie hat Angst, dass...?
In German, the phrase for 'to be afraid of' is Angst haben vor. Because the thing she is afraid of is an entire action described in a dass clause, we cannot just drop the preposition vor. Instead, we combine it with da- to make davor. It acts as a placeholder pointing forward to the subordinate clause: literally, 'She has fear of that, that the spider jumps.'
Why does davor use the preposition vor? Doesn't vor usually mean 'in front of' or 'before'?
As a spatial or time preposition, vor does mean 'in front of' or 'before'. However, many German verbs and phrases have fixed prepositions that do not translate literally. The phrase for 'to be afraid of' is always Angst haben vor. You just have to memorize that fear takes the preposition vor in German!
Why is the verb springt at the very end of the sentence?
The word dass (that) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it always kicks the conjugated verb, which is springt in this case, to the very end of its clause.
The English translation says 'will jump', but isn't springt in the present tense?
Yes, springt is present tense ('jumps' or 'is jumping'). German frequently uses the present tense to talk about the future, especially when it is obvious from the context. English naturally prefers the future tense ('will jump') here, but translating it as 'that the spider jumps' would also be completely correct.