Where and How to use the Term "I am afraid"?

Question

Hi All,

I am not a native english speaker. When I hear people saying statements with I am afraid, I am bit confused on why they are using the word afraid in that. for Ex: I am afraid the stock is not available .. I am afraid I cannot meet you at that time. Can anyone give me a clear response on this

Answer 1

i m afraid i cant tell u!

Answer 2

Another wording for "I am afraid" is "I fear".

It is a way to say that they are worried about something.

It may be about a particular thing.

example: "I am afraid of spiders."

They could be worried that they must give you bad news.

example: "I am afraid we do not have that color shirt for you."

I hope that was what you were looking for.

Answer 3

It is a polite way to say when you want to apologize to someone or you happen to disagree with someone.It is used mainly in spoken English.

To say "I am afraid" has nothing to do with the fear factor.

ex...We don't have anything like that, I am afraid.....

ex...I'm afraid I cannot help you.....

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