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Why Spanish says 'miedo a' and 'amor a' for 'fear of' and 'love of'

When Spanish names a feeling and then says what the feeling is aimed at, it usually links the two with the small preposition a. You have miedo a something, amor a something, odio a something and respeto a someone. Nouns of emotion, attachment and aversion all tend to work this way.

English speakers trip over this because English has no single preposition for the job. We say fear of spiders, love of music, respect for others and addiction to tobacco. Translating word by word gives you de, para or a depending on the English. Spanish is much more consistent, so one rule covers almost all of these cases.

Word list
amormA1 love amor a la música = love of music aficiónfA2 hobby afición al ajedrez = fondness for chess miedomA2 fear miedo a las arañas = fear of spiders odiomB1 hatred odio a la violencia = hatred of violence respetomB1 respect respeto a los demás = respect for others temormB1 fear temor al fracaso = fear of failure adicciónfB2 addiction adicción al tabaco = addiction to tobacco fidelidadfB2 loyalty fidelidad a la marca = loyalty to the brand lealtadfB2 loyalty lealtad a la patria = loyalty to one's country pánicomB2 panic pánico a volar = terror of flying rencormB2 resentment rencor a su padre = resentment towards his father renuenciafB2 reluctance renuencia a hablar = reluctance to speak reticenciafB2 reluctance reticencia a aceptar el cambio = reluctance to accept change ascomC2 disgust asco a las cucarachas = disgust at cockroaches repugnanciafC2 disgust repugnancia a la carne cruda = disgust at raw meat
How it works

The pattern is simple: feeling noun + a + target. The target can be a noun or an infinitive (a verb in its basic form). Remember that a + el contracts to al: miedo al mar, adicción al tabaco.

The verb that goes with the noun is usually tener (to have) or sentir (to feel): tengo miedo a..., siente amor a.... Whatever English uses, whether that is of, for or to, a safe first guess in Spanish is a.

Tengo miedo a las arañas.
(I'm afraid of spiders.)
Mi hermana tiene pánico a volar.
(My sister is terrified of flying.)
The words
Fear

Miedo, temor and pánico all take a, where English says of. Temor sounds a little more formal than miedo, and pánico is stronger.

El temor al fracaso no le deja dormir.
(His fear of failure keeps him awake.)
De pequeño tenía miedo a la oscuridad.
(As a child I was afraid of the dark.)
Love and liking

Amor takes a where English says love of. Afición (fondness, keenness) takes a where English says fondness for or keen on.

Su amor a la música empezó de niño.
(His love of music began in childhood.)
Mi abuelo tiene mucha afición al ajedrez.
(My grandfather is very keen on chess.)
Respect

Respeto takes a where English says respect for.

En esta familia hay mucho respeto a los mayores.
(In this family there is a lot of respect for older people.)
Dislike and dependence

Odio and repugnancia express aversion. Adicción expresses dependence, and English happens to use to here as well. Words like alergia (alergia al polen) and aversión (aversión al riesgo) follow the same pattern.

Su odio a la injusticia lo llevó a estudiar Derecho.
(Her hatred of injustice led her to study law.)
Siempre ha sentido repugnancia a la carne cruda.
(He has always been disgusted by raw meat.)
Dejó el trabajo por su adicción al juego.
(He left his job because of his gambling addiction.)
Watch out

A is the typical choice, not the only correct one. You will also hear miedo de, especially before an infinitive or a clause (miedo de que...). Amor por and respeto por are common, particularly when talking about people, and odio hacia or repugnancia hacia are frequent too. None of these is a mistake. The real mistake is copying the English: respect for is never respeto para.

Tengo miedo de perder el tren.
(I'm afraid of missing the train.)

Be careful with afición. Used on its own, and in the plural, it simply means a hobby: mis aficiones son el cine y la cocina (my hobbies are cinema and cooking). It only takes a when it means a fondness for something.

Finally, do not confuse the noun odio with the verb form odio (I hate). In odio la violencia, the verb takes its object directly, with no a. In el odio a la violencia, the noun takes a.

Summary

When a Spanish noun names a feeling, such as fear, love, hatred, respect, fondness or addiction, introduce its target with a (or al), whatever English uses: miedo a las alturas, amor a la música, respeto a los demás. Alternatives like miedo de, amor por or odio hacia also exist, but never translate for as para here.