Breakdown of Sie fürchtet die Reaktion ihrer Eltern.
die Eltern
the parents
ihr
her / their
die Reaktion
the reaction
fürchten
to fear
Questions & Answers about Sie fürchtet die Reaktion ihrer Eltern.
I usually use sich fürchten vor for "to be afraid of". Why is there no sich or vor here?
Fürchten can also be used as a non-reflexive, transitive verb with a direct accusative object (die Reaktion). This structure sounds a bit more formal or literary. In everyday conversation, you are definitely more likely to hear the reflexive version: Sie fürchtet sich vor der Reaktion ihrer Eltern. Both are grammatically correct and mean the same thing.
Could I also use Angst haben to say this?
Absolutely. In spoken German, Angst haben vor (followed by the dative case) is the most common and natural way to say you are afraid of something: Sie hat Angst vor der Reaktion ihrer Eltern.
Why is it ihrer Eltern and not just ihre Eltern?
This is the genitive case, which indicates possession (meaning "her parents' reaction" or "the reaction of her parents"). Because Eltern is plural, the possessive article ihre takes the genitive plural ending -r, becoming ihrer.
How would I express "She fears her parents will react" using the "dropped dass" structure from this lesson?
Fürchten is a verb of thinking/feeling that allows you to drop dass. Instead of using a standard subordinate clause (Sie fürchtet, dass ihre Eltern reagieren werden), you can drop dass and use a standard main-clause word order where the verb is in the second position: Sie fürchtet, ihre Eltern werden reagieren.
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