How to Say ‘Before, I was very afraid of falling.’ in French
Avant, j'avais très peur de tomber.
ah-vahn zh ah-veh treh puhr duh tohm-bay
[ah-vahn zh ah-veh treh puhr duh tohm-bay]
💬 Usage Tip: Great full phrase: « avoir peur de » + infinitive. Very useful beyond skating too.
🇫🇷 In France: Many French people appreciate honest talk about fear in sport—saying this sounds human, not weak.
Phrase Breakdown
Avant
[ah-vahn]
before
Refers to an earlier time in the past.
Dans « Avant, j'avais très peur de tomber. », Avant situe le souvenir dans le passé.
In "Before, I was very afraid of falling.", Avant places the memory in the past.
j'
[zh]
I
Contracted form of « je » before a vowel.
Dans « Avant, j'avais très peur de tomber. », j' remplace je.
In "Before, I was very afraid of falling.", j' replaces je.
avais
[ah-veh]
had / was having
Imperfect of « avoir »; in « avoir peur », it means « was afraid ».
Dans « Avant, j'avais très peur de tomber. », avais exprime un état passé.
In "Before, I was very afraid of falling.", avais expresses a past state.
très
[treh]
very
Intensifier meaning very.
Dans « Avant, j'avais très peur de tomber. », très renforce peur.
In "Before, I was very afraid of falling.", très intensifies peur.
peur
[puhr]
fear
Part of the expression « avoir peur » = « to be afraid ».
Dans « Avant, j'avais très peur de tomber. », peur montre une forte crainte.
In "Before, I was very afraid of falling.", peur shows strong fear.
de
[duh]
of / to
Preposition introducing the thing feared after « peur ».
Dans « Avant, j'avais très peur de tomber. », de introduit l'action crainte.
In "Before, I was very afraid of falling.", de introduces the feared action.
tomber
[tohm-bay]
to fall
Verb meaning to fall down.
Dans « Avant, j'avais très peur de tomber. », tomber est une peur fréquente en roller.
In "Before, I was very afraid of falling.", tomber is a common fear in skating.
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