Questions & Answers about On jest trochę zazdrosny o mojego przyjaciela.
In standard Polish, you normally keep the verb być (here: jest) in sentences like this:
- On jest trochę zazdrosny. – He is a bit jealous.
You can sometimes hear On trochę zazdrosny in very colloquial speech, but it sounds more like a short, telegraphic comment or spoken emphasis, not a neutral full sentence.
More natural options are:
- On jest trochę zazdrosny o mojego przyjaciela. – neutral.
- Jest trochę zazdrosny o mojego przyjaciela. – also very natural; dropping on is fine when it’s clear who you’re talking about.
So:
- Dropping on = often OK.
- Dropping jest = possible in casual speech, but less standard; keep jest in learner Polish.
The adjective zazdrosny simply takes the preposition o in Polish:
- zazdrosny o kogoś / o coś – jealous of someone / of something
This is just how the language works; you have to memorize it as a fixed pattern, like “afraid of” in English.
Compare with other emotion-preposition patterns:
- zły na kogoś – angry at someone
- dumny z kogoś – proud of someone
- pewny czegoś – sure of something