Timido

The Spanish word timido. I have been told by a former teacher from Mexico and my current teacher,  who I , see twice a week, from Spain, that there is no distinction in Spanish between timid and shy. Can you kindly tell me how would one differentiate between these two so different word meanings in Spanish? I have been labouring over this distinction for ages can you please help?
Many thanks,

John

The best I could come up with for "shy" is "reservado", which is different from being "timid".
 

Interesting. My dictionary returned tímido when I entered shy. When I entered reserved I got reservado. When I entered reservado I got cauteloso.

I agree with Steven, shy and reserved mean two different things to me in English.

This is but one more example of how languages evolve to work differently. Sometimes there are different words to express the same thing in Spanish that are covered by one in English, sometimes the other way around.
 

Another example from the lesson I am working on today:

"(This is ) A small step for man, but a giant leap for mankind."

Being of an age that I actually heard the quote when it was made I could translate it quite well, except for the last word. The translation is humanidad, which works in English, but I thought it was a good illustration of this conversation. We can use either mankind or humanity to express the same idea, whereas Spanish has only humanidad.

Muchas  gracias Steven and Dan  por ayudarme,

Dan's explanation is really good and it comprises why even though shy and timid have different uses in English, in Spanish it would be just one word...

Well, I have to look at it the other way around hehehe So, I try to use the differences between shy and timid in English so I could find the right equivalent in Spanish. Correct me if I'm wrong:

Timidity connotes fear and being easily alarmed. A more informal rendition would be "jumpy" - someone who jumps or startles easily, for example upon hearing a loud unexpected noise.

Shyness connotes social reluctance, someone who is uncomfortable in social situations, who doesn't like to talk to strangers; at parties for example.

If search for tímido, then yes, you will find timid and shy, But, using the different contexts, if you want to refer to the timid definition, maybe you should use "asustadizo", "temeroso" or "miedoso"...

Cheers!

Marie: I agree with your descriptions of timid and shy. A rabbit or a deer is timid. They are easily frightened and run off at the least sound.

I used to be shy around pretty girls. But I tried hard not to be frightened or run off at the least sound from them!
 

Gracias Marie y Becky por sus contribuciones.