Breakdown of Manchmal ist der Junge eifersüchtig auf das Baby.
sein
to be
der Junge
the boy
manchmal
sometimes
das Baby
the baby
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
eifersüchtig
jealous
Questions & Answers about Manchmal ist der Junge eifersüchtig auf das Baby.
Why do we use auf when the English translation says "of"?
Many German adjectives require a specific, fixed preposition that doesn't match the English literal translation. You have to memorize these pairs as a unit. For "jealous of", German always uses eifersüchtig auf.
auf is a two-way preposition. Why is das Baby in the accusative case here instead of the dative?
When auf is used as a fixed preposition for a verb or an adjective (like eifersüchtig auf), it almost always takes the accusative case. The standard rule of "location vs. motion" does not apply to fixed prepositions.
Why is the verb ist placed before the subject der Junge?
German sentences require the conjugated verb to be in the second position (V2 word order). Because the adverb Manchmal occupies the first position, the verb ist must come next, pushing the subject der Junge to the third position.
Could I use neidisch instead of eifersüchtig here?
Probably not. eifersüchtig is used for relationship jealousy, like fearing someone will take away affection (which fits a boy jealous of a new baby). neidisch means envious of a thing or trait someone else has. Luckily, neidisch also pairs with the fixed preposition auf.
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