Breakdown of Hast du keine Angst vor dem Stich? - Doch, natürlich!
du
you (informal singular)
haben
to have
kein
no, not any
die Angst
the fear
vor
in front of
doch
yes (contradicting a negative question)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
natürlich
naturally, of course
der Stich
the sting
Questions & Answers about Hast du keine Angst vor dem Stich? - Doch, natürlich!
Why use Doch instead of Ja to mean 'yes' here?
Why do we say Angst vor instead of using a German word for 'of'?
In German, the noun Angst (fear) always pairs with the preposition vor. While in English you are 'afraid of' something, in German you literally have fear 'in front of' it.
Why does this sentence use dem Stich instead of den Stich?
The preposition vor is a two-way preposition. When it is used as a fixed preposition for an emotion, like Angst haben vor, it always takes the dative case. Since Stich is a masculine noun (der Stich), the dative article is dem.
Why use keine Angst instead of nicht Angst?
Angst is a noun, and in German, you negate nouns that do not have a definite article by using kein (not any) rather than nicht (not). You are literally asking 'Do you have no fear?'
What exactly does Stich mean here?
Stich comes from the verb stechen (to sting or prick). Depending on the context, it usually refers to an insect sting, a mosquito bite, or a medical injection (a shot).
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