eifersüchtig
/ˈaɪ̯fɐˌzʏçtɪç/
The German word for jealous is eifersüchtig.
eifersüchtig is an adjective used to describe a person feeling resentful of someone for a perceived advantage, material or otherwise or in a romantic and possessive sense.
Meaning: envious, feeling resentful of someone for a perceived advantage, material or otherwise (adj)
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between romantic jealousy and envy. Use eifersüchtig specifically for romantic or possessive jealousy. For the envy of someone's possessions or qualities, the German language uses the word neidisch.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun form of this adjective is die Eifersucht. You can also turn the adjective into a noun to refer to a person: der Eifersüchtige refers to a jealous man and die Eifersüchtige refers to a jealous woman.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈaɪ̯fɐˌzʏçtɪç/
Did you know?
- The noun Eifersucht is structured like a disease or a sickness, using the suffix -sucht, which also appears in Sucht meaning 'addiction'.
- The word Eifer (the root of jealousy) is often used in a positive context in German, such as describing 'eifriger Schüler' or 'zealous students' who study hard.
- Unlike in English, where 'jealousy' is often seen as a negative trait, the phrase gesunde Eifersucht refers to a 'healthy' level of protectiveness in a relationship.
Examples in context
- Sie ist nur eifersüchtig.She's just jealous.This sentence is useful for describing a person's state of being with eifersüchtig.Tatoeba #6372355 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #5207698 by Hybrid
- Tom war nie eifersüchtig.Tom was never jealous.This sentence is useful for describing a past state of being with eifersüchtig.Tatoeba #8828160 by wolfgangth, translation #4494557 by CK
- Er ist ein Eifersüchtiger.He is a jealous man.Tatoeba #1779883 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1779815 by Spamster
- Ich bin eifersüchtig auf deinen ErfolgI am jealous of your success
- Sie ist neidisch auf sein neues AutoShe is jealous of his new car
- Ich bin voll neidisch auf dein tolles FahrradI'm so jealous of your awesome bike
- Ich bin so futterneidisch auf deine leckeren SpaghettiI am so jealous of your delicious spaghetti
- 237 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Laura and Felix are talking about a colleague's new promotion.
- LauraBist du eifersüchtig auf die neue Stelle von Marc?Are you jealous of Marc's new position?
- FelixNein, ich freue mich wirklich für ihn.No, I am really happy for him.
- LauraIch bin ein bisschen eifersüchtig auf sein Gehalt.I am a bit jealous of his salary.
- FelixDas ist ganz normal, Laura.That is completely normal, Laura.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry eifersüchtig, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
