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How to Say ‘Got scared; were frightened’ in Simplified Chinese

吓到了

xià dào le

[shyah-dow luh]

💬 Usage Tip: The [了] in [吓到了] shows a completed change of state: someone got scared. It is a natural reaction phrase after a shocking save or near miss.

🇨🇳 In China: After a close call, Chinese fans might laugh and say [我真的吓到了]—it is a very relatable, very human football reaction.

Phrase Breakdown

吓到

xià dào

[shyah-dow]

to scare; to frighten

Means to cause someone to feel scared or shocked, often from a close call.

Example

那个差点进球的瞬间把大家吓到。

That moment when it almost went in scared everyone.

le

[luh]

completed action marker

Shows that an action has happened or a situation has changed.

Example

我刚刚真的吓到了。

I really got scared just now.

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