Breakdown of Es común tener miedo antes del examen oral.
tener
to have
ser
to be
antes de
before
el miedo
the fear
Questions & Answers about Es común tener miedo antes del examen oral.
Why does the sentence start with Es común instead of something like Es normalmente?
Común is an adjective meaning common or normal, so Es común... means It is common...
By contrast, normalmente is an adverb meaning normally, and it would be used differently:
So:
- Es común tener miedo... = a general statement
- Normalmente... = describes how something usually happens
In this sentence, Es común is the natural choice because it expresses a general fact.
Why is it tener miedo and not a verb like miedar or something similar?
In Spanish, the usual expression is tener miedo, literally to have fear, but it means to be afraid or to feel afraid.
This is one of those places where Spanish and English use different structures:
- English: to be afraid
- Spanish: tener miedo
Other examples:
- Tengo miedo. = I’m afraid.
- Ella tiene miedo de hablar en público. = She’s afraid of speaking in public.
So tener miedo is a fixed, very common expression.