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おそれがある: warning of an unwelcome possibility

Give notice of a risk that is not yet certain. Check verb and noun connections, risks involving a negative clause, and the difference between occurrence and possibility.

Warning before something happens

強風で電車が遅れるおそれがあります。 warns that strong winds may delay trains. It describes the possibility of delay, not a report that all trains are already late.

The basic use concerns an unwelcome result. For a positive possibility such as 合格するかもしれません, use a suitable expression of uncertainty rather than mechanically replacing it with おそれがある.

Verb and noun connections

A verb can connect in the dictionary form, as in 遅れるおそれがある. A noun takes の, as in 洪水のおそれがある, expressing a risk of flooding.

荷物が届かないおそれがあります。 warns that the package may fail to arrive. The negative verb makes nonarrival the risk; it does not mean that no risk exists.

The size of the possibility and the response

おそれがあります alone does not assign a numerical probability. Distinguish the event being warned about from the evidence for that assessment, and do not read あります as completed occurrence.

問題が大きくなりかねません。 also expresses concern that a problem may grow. おそれがある clearly names an event in a risk notice, while かねない can emphasize that a situation may lead to such a result.

Quick check: Does 中止になるおそれがあります。 confirm that an event has already been canceled?

Show the answer and why

No. It warns of possible cancellation. A separate decision or announcement is needed to confirm actual cancellation.

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