beneiden
envy
Sich wünschen, das zu haben oder zu können, was eine andere Person hat oder kann.
Definition & meaning
beneiden means to envy someone or to be envious of something someone has. It describes wishing that one possessed another person’s qualities, possessions, success, or circumstances.
It can be neutral or negative:
- I envy her talent.
- He envies his colleague’s success.
The person who is envied is in the accusative, and the thing causing envy is usually introduced with um:
- jemanden um etwas beneiden — to envy someone for something
Grammar & word origin
- Part of speech: verb
- Infinitive: beneiden
- Past tense: beneidete
- Past participle: beneidet
- Auxiliary verb: haben
- Verb type: weak, inseparable-prefix verb
The word consists of the prefix be- and the noun Neid (, “envy”). The prefix makes the verb transitive: one person envies another person or something belonging to them.
Typical grammatical structure:
jemanden um etwas beneiden
For example:
Sie beneidet ihn um seinen Erfolg.
She envies him for his success.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- neidisch sein () — to be envious; this is an adjective construction and describes the state of feeling envy, whereas beneiden focuses on the act of envying someone.
- missgönnen () — to begrudge someone something; this is usually stronger and more negative, implying that one does not want the other person to have or enjoy it.
- eifersüchtig sein () — to be jealous; this often concerns a relationship or fear of losing someone’s affection, so it is not an exact synonym of beneiden.
Antonyms
- gönnen () — to be happy for someone and consider them deserving of something; this is the clearest opposite of beneiden.
- sich für jemanden freuen () — to be happy for someone; this emphasizes positive support rather than merely the absence of envy.
Common phrases & collocations
- jemanden um seinen Erfolg beneiden () — to envy someone’s success
- jemanden um sein Talent beneiden () — to envy someone’s talent
- jemanden um seine Schönheit beneiden () — to envy someone’s beauty
- nicht zu beneiden sein () — not to be envied; to be in an unpleasant or difficult situation
- Ich beneide dich. () — I envy you; depending on context, this can also mean “I wish I were in your position.”
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Examples
Viele Menschen beneiden ihn um seinen Erfolg.verb
Many people envy him for his success.
Früher habe ich meine Freunde um ihre Abenteuer beneidet.verb
In the past I envied my friends for their adventures.
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