to envy
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to envy
To have the feeling of wanting to possess or be able to do something that another person has. You feel envy toward someone because of a certain quality, possession, or situation.
Ich beneide dich um deine Fähigkeit, so gut zeichnen zu können.
I envy you for your ability to draw so well.
'Beneiden' (to envy) is an inseparable verb with the prefix 'be-'. This prefix means that the person being envied is always in the accusative, not the dative.
Ich beneide dich.
I envy you.
The structure is fixed: you envy someone (accusative) 'um' something (accusative). The preposition 'um' is the most common choice here; more rarely, 'für' or 'wegen' is also used.
Er beneidet seine Schwester um ihr musikalisches Talent.
He envies his sister for her musical talent.
Although envy is often negative, 'beneiden' (to envy) can also be meant appreciatively or admiringly. It then often expresses the wish to be in a similarly positive situation.
Ich beneide dich um deinen Mut, diese Weltreise allein zu machen!
I envy you for your courage to take this trip around the world alone!
to treat oneself / to not begrudge
'gönnen' and 'beneiden' both describe how you react to something good happening to another person. But they express opposites. If you gönnen someone something, you are happy for that person or accept their advantage without envy. If you beneiden someone, you want to have what that person has and feel envy. Learners may confuse the words because both are often connected with success, money, luck, or nice experiences. Memory tip: 'gönnen' is generous; 'beneiden' is envious.
Mia beneidet ihre Schwester um die lange Reise nach Spanien.
Mia envies her sister for the long trip to Spain.
Nach der schwierigen Prüfung gönnt die Klasse Paul seinen guten Erfolg.
After the difficult exam, the class is happy for Paul about his good result.