Offline mode

    tener envidia sana

    Grammar & Usage

    idiomatic verb phrase
    neutral / colloquial

    How it works

    Formed by the irregular transitive verb 'tener' combined with the noun phrase 'envidia sana' (healthy envy). The verb conjugates normally according to person, tense, and mood, while the adjective 'sana' agrees in feminine singular form with 'envidia'. It often introduces a subordinate clause with 'de' + noun/infinitive or 'de que' + subjunctive.

    Sample sentences

    Me alegro mucho por tu ascenso, aunque no puedo evitar tener envidia sana.

    I'm very happy about your promotion, although I can't help feeling benign envy.

    Al ver las fotos de su viaje a Japón, todos tuvimos un poco de envidia sana.

    Seeing the photos of their trip to Japan, we all felt a bit of healthy envy.

    Tengo envidia sana de lo bien que tocas el piano sin haber ido nunca al conservatorio.

    I have harmless envy over how well you play the piano without ever having attended a conservatory.

    Quick facts

    cultural_nuance:Used socially to soften an expression of jealousy, explicitly clarifying that one wishes the other person well and harbors no ill will.
    gender_agreement:Noun and adjective are feminine singular ('envidia' + 'sana')
    verb_conjugation:Follows standard conjugation of the irregular verb 'tener' (tengo, tienes, tiene, etc.)

    Mnemonic

    Sign in for a creative sound-alike story that makes "tener envidia sana" unforgettable 🧠

    Get an AI-generated memory hook for tener envidia sana — a vivid scene that locks the word in your brain 🧠

    Example

    Me alegro mucho por tu ascenso, aunque no puedo evitar tener envidia sana.

    I'm very happy about your promotion, although I can't help feeling benign envy.

    Al ver las fotos de su viaje a Japón, todos tuvimos un poco de envidia sana.

    Seeing the photos of their trip to Japan, we all felt a bit of healthy envy.

    Sign in for AI-generated examples tailored to your level ✨