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Mi hermana tiene miedo a las alturas.

Mi hermana tiene miedo a las alturas.
My sister is afraid of heights.
From Lesson 346:Heights, limits and decimals (la altura, el máximo, la coma)·Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of Mi hermana tiene miedo a las alturas.

la hermana
the sister
tener
to have
el miedo
the fear
mi
my
a
to
la altura
the height

Questions & Answers about Mi hermana tiene miedo a las alturas.

Why does it say tiene miedo instead of using the verb 'to be' like in English?
In Spanish, you 'have fear' rather than being 'afraid'. It uses the verb tener (to have) plus the noun miedo (fear). This is similar to other physical or emotional states in Spanish, like tener hambre (to be hungry) or tener frío (to be cold).
Why do we use the preposition a after miedo instead of de?
When you are afraid of a specific thing or concept (like heights, spiders, or the dark), Spanish typically uses miedo a. You might sometimes hear miedo de, but miedo a is much more natural and common for phobias and nouns.
Why does the sentence use las alturas instead of just alturas?
In Spanish, when you talk about a general concept or an entire category of things (like heights in general), you must include the definite article (el, la, los, or las). English usually leaves it out.
Is there another common way to express this fear in Spanish?
Yes! You will often hear the phrase dar miedo (to give fear), which works just like the verb gustar. You could rephrase this sentence as A mi hermana le dan miedo las alturas, which literally translates to 'Heights give fear to my sister.'

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