Breakdown of Ich bin stolz auf den Namen meiner Familie.
ich
I
sein
to be
der Name
the name
mein
my
die Familie
the family
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
stolz
proud
Questions & Answers about Ich bin stolz auf den Namen meiner Familie.
Why do we use the accusative "den" after "auf" here?
The phrase "to be proud of" translates to stolz sein auf. In German, the preposition auf in this specific expression always triggers the accusative case. Since Name is a masculine noun (der Name), the article becomes den.
If "name" is singular here, why is it spelled "Namen" with an extra "n" at the end?
Der Name belongs to a special group of masculine nouns often called "weak nouns" (the rule is known as n-declension). These nouns add an -n or -en to the end in every case except the nominative (the subject). Because it is in the accusative case here (den Namen), it gets that extra -n.
Why is it "meiner Familie"? Isn't "Familie" a feminine noun?
Yes, it is die Familie, but this is the genitive case, which is used to show possession (like adding " 's " in English or saying "of my"). In the genitive case, feminine articles change from die/meine to der/meiner. So, meiner Familie translates directly to "of my family".
Could I say "von meiner Familie" instead to show possession?
Yes! In everyday spoken German, people frequently replace the genitive case with von + the dative case. Saying ...auf den Namen von meiner Familie is perfectly natural in conversation, though the genitive version used in this sentence sounds a bit more elegant and is standard in writing.
Learn Ich bin stolz auf den Namen meiner Familie and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free