When I saw you, I was afraid to meet you...
When I met you, I was afraid to kiss you...When I kissed you, I was afraid to love you...Now that I love you, I’m afraid to lose you.” In the quote above the word ‘afraid’ is used four times and in this context it means feeling fear, anxiety or uneasiness. When we are frightened or scared of something, we use the word ‘afraid’. Here are some examples:
• I’m afraid to meet him.
• He is afraid to talk to me.
• Are you afraid of going there?
The word ‘afraid’ has another meaning – feeling regret or unhappiness. For example:
• We haven’t got good response from the audience, I’m afraid.
• I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend the meeting.
We use the expression ‘I’m afraid’ to convey something that is unpleasant to the receiver of the news. For example, assume that you agreed to be a resource person for a seminar or a conference and the organisers have made all arrangements including printing the invitation. Due to some unavoidable reasons, you won’t be able to make it to the conference. How do you convey the piece of information that you won’t be able to attend the conference?
• I’m afraid I can’t keep my promise of being a resource person at the conference.
• I’m afraid I won’t be able to make myself free on November 25.
In the examples above, the expression ‘I’m afraid’ is used to politely express your inability to make it to the conference or to satisfy the organisers of the conference. You can also use the expression when you do not agree with someone or when someone’s answer to your question is incorrect. It is a gentle denial or a polite ‘no’ to someone’s request.
• Quiz master: What is the full name of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom?
Team A: Michael Cameron.
Quiz master: No, I’m afraid it is not the correct answer. The correct answer is David William Donald Cameron.
• A: Though we haven’t got many abstracts for the conference, we should not extend the deadline.
B: I’m afraid I can’t agree with you. It is good to extend the deadline.
In the first example above, the quiz master politely says that the answer given by the contestant is not correct and in the second example speaker B disagrees with speaker A.
Here are more explanations:
I’m afraid so
The expression “I’m afraid so” is used to confirm some bad news as in the examples below:
• A: Has the conference been cancelled?
B: I’m afraid so.
A: Do we have to pay them compensation?
B: I’m afraid so.
I’m afraid not
The meaning of the expression ‘I’m afraid not’ is ‘unfortunately, no’. Look at these examples:
• A:I need `1,00,000 urgently. I can borrow `60,000 from my brother. Can you lend me `40,000?
B: I’m afraid not. It is a big sum. I don’t have that much money now.
• I: Has your cousin recovered from the illness?
III: I’m afraid not.
• 1: This is a joke, right?
2: I’m afraid not.
— rayanal@yahoo.co.uk