Mi hermana tiene miedo cuando una abeja entra por la ventana del dormitorio.

My sister is afraid when a bee enters through the bedroom window.

Breakdown of Mi hermana tiene miedo cuando una abeja entra por la ventana del dormitorio.

• mi: my
• la ventana: the window
• la hermana: the sister
• cuando: when
• entrar: to enter
• una: a
• por: through
• del: of the
• tener miedo: to be afraid
• el dormitorio: the bedroom
• la abeja: the bee

Questions & Answers about Mi hermana tiene miedo cuando una abeja entra por la ventana del dormitorio.

Why is it tiene miedo and not está miedo or es miedo?

In Spanish, feelings like fear are very often expressed with tener + noun, not with ser or estar.

• Tener miedo = to be afraid / to be scared
  Literally: to have fear.

You cannot say:

• ✗ está miedo
• ✗ es miedo

Those are ungrammatical.

Correct options include:

• Mi hermana tiene miedo. – My sister is afraid.
• Mi hermana está asustada. – My sister is scared. (adjective asustada)

So the pattern is:

• tener hambre – to be hungry
• tener sed – to be thirsty
• tener frío – to be cold
• tener miedo – to be afraid

Why is entra in the present tense and not something like está entrando?

The simple present in Spanish (entra) can express:

1. Habitual actions (things that happen regularly), and
2. Actions happening now, depending on context.

In your sentence:

Mi hermana tiene miedo cuando una abeja entra por la ventana del dormitorio.

this describes a general, repeated situation:

• Whenever a bee comes in the window, she’s afraid.

So Spanish uses the simple present for that:

• entra = comes in / enters (habitually)

You could say está entrando if you were describing a bee that is currently in the middle of entering right now:

• Mi hermana tiene miedo porque una abeja está entrando por la ventana.
  My sister is afraid because a bee is coming in through the window (right now).

But for a general statement, entra is the natural choice.

Why is it cuando una abeja entra and not cuando una abeja entre with the subjunctive?

With cuando, Spanish uses either the indicative or the subjunctive depending on meaning:

• Indicative (entra): for habitual or known, real situations.
• Subjunctive (entre): for future, unknown, or hypothetical situations.

Your sentence is describing a regular pattern:

Mi hermana tiene miedo cuando una abeja entra por la ventana del dormitorio.
My sister is afraid when a bee comes in through the bedroom window.

This is a habitual fact, so entra (indicative) is correct.

Compare:

• Cuando una abeja entra, mi hermana tiene miedo.
  Whenever a bee comes in (in general), she gets scared. → indicative

• Tendrá miedo cuando una abeja entre por la ventana.
  She will be afraid when a bee comes in (in the future, not yet happened). → subjunctive entre

Why is it por la ventana and not en la ventana or a la ventana?

The preposition por here indicates movement through an opening:

• entra por la ventana = comes in through the window

Rough idea of the differences:

• por la ventana – through the window (route/path)
• en la ventana – at/on the window (location, not movement)
• a la ventana – to the window (movement toward the window, not necessarily through it)

Examples:

• La abeja entra por la ventana. – The bee comes in through the window.
• La abeja está en la ventana. – The bee is at/on the window.
• La abeja vuela a la ventana. – The bee flies to the window.

So for coming into the room via the window, por is the natural choice.

What does del dormitorio mean, and why not de el dormitorio?

del is just the mandatory contraction of de + el:

• de + el = del

So:

• por la ventana del dormitorio
  literally: through the window of the bedroom

You must use the contraction; ✗ de el dormitorio is incorrect in standard Spanish.

The same happens with a + el = al:

• Voy a el dormitorio → Voy al dormitorio.

Could I put the cuando clause at the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Word order is flexible here. Both are correct:

• Mi hermana tiene miedo cuando una abeja entra por la ventana del dormitorio.
• Cuando una abeja entra por la ventana del dormitorio, mi hermana tiene miedo.

The meaning is the same.
The only difference is punctuation: when the cuando clause comes first, you usually add a comma after it.

Why is it una abeja and not la abeja?

Una abeja uses the indefinite article (a bee), which is natural because:

• We’re talking about any bee, not a specific, already-known bee.
• The idea is: whenever a bee (any bee) comes in, she’s afraid.

If you said la abeja, it would suggest a specific bee that has already been mentioned or is known in context:

• Mi hermana tiene miedo cuando la abeja entra por la ventana.
  My sister is afraid when the bee comes in through the window.
  → Which bee? Probably one you’ve already talked about.

So una abeja matches the general, non-specific meaning.

What’s the difference between tiene miedo and se asusta here?

Both are possible, but there’s a nuance:

• tiene miedo = is afraid, feels fear (state)
• se asusta = gets scared, is startled (reaction / change)

Your sentence:

• Mi hermana tiene miedo cuando una abeja entra…
  Focuses on her state of fear whenever this situation happens.

If you say:

• Mi hermana se asusta cuando una abeja entra por la ventana del dormitorio.
  My sister gets scared when a bee comes in through the bedroom window.

this emphasizes the moment of becoming scared each time the bee enters.
Both sound natural; it just depends on what you want to highlight.

Could I say Mi hermana tiene miedo de las abejas instead? Does it mean the same thing?

Yes, that’s another natural way to express a general fear:

• Mi hermana tiene miedo de las abejas.
  My sister is afraid of bees.

Differences:

• Mi hermana tiene miedo cuando una abeja entra por la ventana del dormitorio.
  Focus: She is afraid in that specific situation (when a bee comes in through the bedroom window).

• Mi hermana tiene miedo de las abejas.
  Focus: She is generally afraid of bees, in any situation.

You can also hear:

• Mi hermana le tiene miedo a las abejas.
  (Very common in Latin America; adds an indirect object le and a.)

Are there other common words in Latin America instead of dormitorio?

Yes. Dormitorio is perfectly correct and understood everywhere, but in everyday Latin American Spanish, people often use:

• cuarto – very common (Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, etc.)
• pieza – used in parts of Argentina, Chile, and other Southern Cone areas
• recámara – especially in Mexico

For example:

• Mi hermana tiene miedo cuando una abeja entra por la ventana del cuarto.
• …entra por la ventana de la pieza.
• …entra por la ventana de la recámara.

All of these sound natural in the right region.