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Italian Phrase

Ho paura di essere rifiutato/a.

/o ˈpaw.ra di ˈes.se.re ri.fjuˈta.to/
Meaning"I am afraid of being rejected."
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Meaning

The sentence means “I am afraid of being rejected.” It expresses a personal fear about how others might respond to you, often in romantic, social, or professional situations. The /a/ at the end of rifiutato/a matches the speaker’s gender.

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When to use

Use this phrase when you want to share a vulnerability, such as before asking someone out, applying for a job, or presenting an idea. It’s a sincere, slightly vulnerable statement that can invite empathy or reassurance.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Hopauradiessererifiutato/a

1

Verb ‘avere’ + fear noun

Use ‘ho paura di…’ to express fear; the verb after ‘di’ is in infinitive form.

2

Infinitive ‘essere’ + past participle

When the fear is about a state, use ‘essere’ followed by a past participle that agrees in gender and number with the subject.

3

Gender agreement

Add ‘-a’ to rifiutato if the speaker is female; otherwise keep the masculine ‘-o’.

🗨In Conversation

A

Ho paura di essere rifiutato/a.

I’m afraid of being rejected.

Capisco, ma è l’unico modo per sapere se funziona.

I understand, but it’s the only way to find out if it works.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Ho paura di essere rifiutare.

    The verb after ‘essere’ must be a past participle (rifiutato), not the infinitive.

  • Ho paura di essere rifiutati.

    Match the participle gender to the speaker; use rifiutato for a male speaker, rifiutata for a female speaker.

  • Ho paura di rifiutare.

    This changes the meaning to ‘I’m afraid of rejecting (someone)’ instead of being rejected.

↔Alternatives

  • Temo di essere rifiutato/a.

    I fear being rejected.

  • Ho paura che mi rifiutino.

    I’m afraid they’ll reject me.

  • Mi spaventa l’idea di essere rifiutato/a.

    The idea of being rejected scares me.

it

Cultural Tip

In Italian conversation, openly expressing fear can be seen as a sign of honesty, but it’s often softened with a reassuring phrase like “non ti preoccupare” (don’t worry) or “vedrai che andrà bene” (you’ll see it’ll be fine). In more formal contexts, you might replace “paura” with “timore” for a slightly more polished tone.