Breakdown of Bist du eifersüchtig auf deinen Partner oder neidisch auf das Geld?
sein
to be
du
you (informal singular)
das Geld
the money
der Partner
the partner (male)
Questions & Answers about Bist du eifersüchtig auf deinen Partner oder neidisch auf das Geld?
Why do both "jealous" and "envious" use the preposition auf instead of a word for "of"?
In German, many adjectives have fixed prepositions that do not directly translate to English. Both eifersüchtig (jealous) and neidisch (envious) always pair with auf. When learning these adjectives, you just have to memorize them as sets: eifersüchtig auf and neidisch auf.
English speakers often just say "jealous" for both. What is the exact difference between eifersüchtig and neidisch here?
German makes a strict distinction between these two feelings! You use eifersüchtig when you are afraid of losing someone's affection or attention, which is why it is used with Partner in this sentence. You use neidisch when you want something that someone else has, like Geld (money).
Why are we using the accusative forms deinen Partner and das Geld after auf?
The preposition auf is a two-way preposition, meaning it can take either the dative or the accusative case when talking about physical locations. However, when auf is used abstractly as a fixed preposition for an adjective or verb, it almost always forces the accusative case.
Could I repeat the verb and say oder bist du neidisch?