Learn Italian: Hai paura di un piccolo insetto? - Are you afraid of a little insect?

Hai paura di un piccolo insetto?

Are you afraid of a little insect?

Breakdown of Hai paura di un piccolo insetto?

Questions & Answers about Hai paura di un piccolo insetto?

Why do we use hai here instead of the Italian verb for "you are"?

In English, we say we are afraid, using the verb to be. But in Italian, fear is treated as something you possess. You use the verb avere (to have) plus the noun paura (fear). So, hai paura literally means you have fear.

Why is the word di used after paura?

The phrase avere paura di is a set expression that means to be afraid of. Whenever you want to say exactly what it is that you fear, you connect it to the rest of the sentence using the preposition di.

Why does the adjective piccolo come before the noun insetto?

While most descriptive adjectives in Italian go after the noun, common adjectives describing size (like piccolo for small, or grande for big) usually come before the noun.

Since insetto starts with a vowel, why is the article un instead of uno or un'?

The indefinite article is always chosen based on the word immediately following it. Even though insetto starts with a vowel, the word right after the article is piccolo, which starts with a consonant. Since piccolo is masculine and starts with a normal consonant, it takes the standard masculine article un. Also, remember that un' with an apostrophe is only ever used before feminine words!