Temer means 'to fear' or 'to be afraid of', and it is a regular -er verb that is more formal and literary than the everyday tener miedo. Temo lo peor (I fear the worst), temía que fuera tarde (I feared it was late — note the subjunctive). It often takes que + subjunctive, which makes it valuable for higher-level grammar at A-Level. The reflexive temerse adds the sense of suspecting something bad (me temo que sí, I'm afraid so). As a regular -er verb the conjugation is predictable; the interest lies in the subjunctive it introduces.
Quick facts
Temer (to fear) is a regular -er verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Temo lo peor (I fear the worst).
Temía que fuera tarde (I feared it was late).
Reflexive me temo que sí (I'm afraid so).
More literary than tener miedo.
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
temer is a regular -er verb — it follows the standard -er pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know temer, you know the template for all regular -er verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice temer now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: temo, tú: temes, él: teme, nosotros: tememos, vosotros: teméis, ellos: temen
The past participle is temido (he temido) and the gerund is temiendo (estoy temiendo).
Temer is on the AQA and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists, but not on Edexcel.
Verbs that are easy to confuse with temer or that behave like it.
Temer is on the AQA and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists, but not on Edexcel. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.