Paul a peur de mourir.

Paul is afraid of dying.

Breakdown of Paul a peur de mourir.

• Paul: Paul
• avoir peur de: to be afraid of
• mourir: to die

Questions & Answers about Paul a peur de mourir.

Why does French use a peur instead of est peur?

Because French uses the expression avoir peur, literally to have fear, where English usually says to be afraid.

So:

• Paul a peur = Paul is afraid
• not Paul est peur — that is not correct French

This is one of those cases where French and English build the idea differently:

• English: be
  • adjective-like expression
• French: have
  • noun (peur)

A lot of emotion or physical-state expressions work this way in French, such as:

• avoir faim = to be hungry
• avoir soif = to be thirsty
• avoir peur = to be afraid

What exactly is peur in this sentence?

Peur is a noun meaning fear.

In avoir peur, it is part of a fixed expression:

• avoir peur = to be afraid / to feel fear

So even though English often uses afraid as an adjective, French uses the noun peur with avoir.

Why is there a de before mourir?