Breakdown of Он опасается неудачи больше, чем я.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
я
I
чем
than / the (in comparisons)
больше
more (quantity or size) / no longer, anymore
Questions & Answers about Он опасается неудачи больше, чем я.
Why is неудачи in the Genitive case here instead of the Accusative?
The verb опасаться (to fear, to dread) requires its object to be in the Genitive case, not the Accusative. In Russian, verbs dealing with fear, avoidance, and deprivation generally govern the Genitive because the subject is conceptually distancing themselves from the object.
I already know бояться (to be afraid). How is опасаться different?
Бояться is the most common, everyday word for being scared. Опасаться is slightly more formal and translates closer to "to dread," "to be apprehensive," or "to beware of." It implies a cautious fear of a specific negative outcome or risk (like failure), rather than a raw physical fear. Both verbs take the Genitive case.
Could I use the Genitive of comparison and say больше меня instead of больше, чем я?
You could, but больше, чем я is much better here to avoid ambiguity. Because verbs of fear take the Genitive case, Он опасается неудачи больше меня could technically be misinterpreted as "He fears failure more than [he fears] me." Using the conjunction чем with the Nominative я makes it perfectly clear that "I" am the second subject.
Since опасается ends in -ся, does that mean it's a reflexive action?