Breakdown of Mein Familienname hat sieben Buchstaben.
haben
to have
sieben
seven
mein
my
der Familienname
the surname, the family name
der Buchstabe
the letter (of the alphabet)
Questions & Answers about Mein Familienname hat sieben Buchstaben.
Why is it Mein Familienname and not Meine Familienname?
In German compound words, the gender is always determined by the last part of the word. Since der Name is masculine, the whole word Familienname is masculine. Therefore, we use the masculine possessive Mein (and not the feminine Meine, even though die Familie is feminine).
Is there another common word for Familienname?
Yes, you will very often hear der Nachname used for last name or surname. Both mean exactly the same thing and are used commonly in everyday German.
What is the singular form of Buchstaben?
The singular is der Buchstabe (the letter of the alphabet). To make it plural, you just add an -n at the end to get Buchstaben.
Why is there an extra -n- in the middle of Familienname?
It acts as a connecting letter. When combining two words like Familie and Name to make a compound noun, German often adds an extra letter like -s- or -n- in the middle to make the new word flow better and be easier to pronounce.
Learn Mein Familienname hat sieben Buchstaben 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