Er hat Angst davor, zu fliegen.

Sentence Discussions German
#1

Could someone please explain why we wouldn’t simply say, Er hat angst zu fliegen. What roll does in “davor” play in this sentence?

#2

There is no particular reason for this, at least none that I, as a native speaker, could think of. It sounds a bit more elaborated but that’s about it.
What I can say though is that this comma is completely wrong.

3 Likes
#3

Vielen Dank, dlobok.

#4

Could there be a missing previous context that indicated the “he” referred to is reluctant to start his trip, which “davor” refers back to?

#5

This is not a mistake the comma. Check the grammars for the “Infinitivkonstruktionen”.

#6

Because this is German! Really sometimes question should be posted with “grano in zucca” as we say in Italy…