Practice
Worry and be worried: understand the difference
Sign in to saveI worry about the train connection. I am worried about the train connection. Both sentences describe concern, but the grammar points to it in a different way.
Choose worry or be worried by deciding whether you are naming concern, describing a person's state, or saying what causes concern.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
I am worried about the train connection. /aɪ əm ˈwʌr.id əˈbaʊt ðə treɪn kəˈnek.ʃən/
The short answer
Use worry for the action or experience of feeling concern. Use be worried when worried describes how someone feels. A thing can worry someone when it causes that concern.
I am worried about the train connection.
Why it works: Am is a form of be, and worried describes the speaker's present state.
5 more examples
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I worry about the train connection.
Worry is the main verb, and the speaker names the thing that causes concern.
Not this:I
am worried aboutthe train connection. What changes: Am worried describes the speaker's state rather than using worry as the main verb. -
The late reply worries Daniel.
The late reply is the subject and causes Daniel's concern.
Not this:Daniel
is worriedby the late reply. What changes: Daniel becomes the person in the worried state. -
We worried that the address was wrong.
Worried is the past form of the verb worry, followed by a clause.
Not this:We
were worried thatthe address was wrong. What changes: Were worried describes the group's state in the past. -
She worries about making a mistake.
The singular subject she takes worries, and about is followed by an -ing form.
Not this:She
is worried about makinga mistake. What changes: Is worried gives the same topic a state description. -
Don't worry about the delay.
This is a direct, common way to tell someone not to feel concern.
Not this:You do not need to
be worriedabout the delay. What changes: Be worried follows need to and describes the state that is unnecessary.
Read the full guide
Look at the word before worried. If the sentence has am, is, are, was, or were, worried usually describes a person or group's state. If worry changes for tense or agreement, such as worry, worries, worried, or worrying, it is the verb. Then check the pattern after it: about a noun or pronoun, or that plus a clause.
Choose the sentence job first
Ask what the sentence is doing. Use worry when the subject is having concern. Use be worried when you are describing the subject's feeling or condition. Use worry with a thing as the subject when that thing causes concern for someone else.
I worry about the budget.
The speaker is doing the worrying, so worry is the main verb.
The budget worries me.
The budget is now the cause of concern, and me names the person affected.
Use a form of be before worried
When worried describes a state, it needs a form of be. Choose am, is, or are for the present, and was or were for the past. This pattern is similar to other descriptions with be, such as be tired or be ready.
The passengers are worried about the cancellation.
Are agrees with the plural subject passengers. Worried tells us how they feel.
Which word is missing: I ___ worried that I left the window open?
Use was: I was worried that I left the window open.
Change worry like an ordinary verb
Worry changes with the subject and time. Use worries with he, she, or it in the simple present. Use worried for the simple past. Use worrying after be when you need the continuous form. These changes show that worry is acting as the verb.
The noise worried the neighbors last night.
Worried is the past form of worry here. The noise caused the neighbors' concern.
He is worrying about the interview.
Is worrying uses the continuous form of the verb and can stress an ongoing period of concern.
Follow the pattern with about or that
Use about when you name a thing, person, or activity. Use that when you follow with a full clause. Both worry and be worried can use these patterns. Read the words after the expression to help you choose the right structure.
They are worried about missing the last bus.
About is followed by the -ing form missing and its object.
They worry that the last bus has left.
That introduces a clause with its own subject and verb.
Use the form that fits the moment
I am worried often points to a current state. I worry can describe a habit or a general tendency, although context can make it current too. Do not treat the difference as a strict rule about time. Choose the form that makes the subject's role clear in your sentence.
I worry about my sister when she travels alone.
This sentence describes a repeated situation, so the simple present is natural.
Which form describes your feeling now: I worry or I am worried?
I am worried usually makes the current state clearer: I am worried about the meeting.
Before you go
Remember this
Use worry as a verb for a person's concern or for something that causes concern. Use be worried to describe a person or group's state. After either pattern, use about with a noun, pronoun, or -ing form, or use that with a clause when it fits the meaning.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Worry and be worried: understand the difference"
What is the difference between worry and be worried?
Worry is a verb for having concern, while be worried describes a person's state. You can also make the cause the subject, as in The late reply worries Daniel. The choice changes the grammar around the word.
I worry about the train connection.
Can I use worry about and be worried about with the same noun?
Yes. I worry about the train connection and I am worried about the train connection are both natural. The first uses worry as the verb. The second uses am worried to describe the speaker's state.
I am worried about the train connection.
When should I use worry that?
Use worry that before a clause with its own subject and verb, as in We worried that the address was wrong. You can also use be worried that when the sentence describes the person's state.
The late reply worries Daniel.
Why does worry become worries?
In the simple present, a singular third-person subject takes worries: She worries about making a mistake. The spelling changes from y to ies in this form, just as it does in many other verbs ending in consonant plus y.
Daniel is worried by the late reply.
Is Don't worry the same as You do not need to be worried?
The meaning is similar in many situations, but the forms are different. Don't worry is a direct reassurance with the verb worry. You do not need to be worried uses be worried to name the state that is unnecessary.
We worried that the address was wrong.