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Breakdown of Ich bin stolz auf meinen Erfolg.
sein
to be
ich
I
auf
on
mein
my
der Erfolg
the success
stolz
proud
Questions & Answers about Ich bin stolz auf meinen Erfolg.
Why isn't the adjective stolz inflected to show gender, number or case?
Because when an adjective follows a form of sein (to be) and describes the subject (predicative position), it remains in its base (uninflected) form.
Why is the preposition auf used after stolz? Could I use von or another preposition?
The fixed expression stolz auf translates to "proud of." Other prepositions like von don't collocate here. You must use auf plus the accusative to express the object of pride.
What case does the preposition auf require in this sentence?
With stolz auf, auf always takes the accusative case, so you have auf meinen Erfolg.
Why is the possessive pronoun mein written as meinen here?
Erfolg is a masculine noun (der Erfolg) and since auf governs the accusative, the masculine singular form of mein is meinen.
Could I say "Ich bin stolz in meinem Erfolg" instead?
No. Using in would change the meaning and require dative case (in meinem Erfolg), suggesting location "in my success," which doesn't make sense. The correct preposition is auf with accusative.
What gender is the noun Erfolg, and how do I form its plural?
Erfolg is masculine (der Erfolg). Its plural is Erfolge (die Erfolge). For example, "Ich bin stolz auf meine Erfolge" means "I am proud of my successes."
How would I say "I am proud of our success" in German?
Use the possessive unser in the accusative masculine singular:
Ich bin stolz auf unseren Erfolg.
Can I express the same idea using a clause instead of a noun phrase?
Yes. You can use darauf, dass... plus a clause:
Ich bin stolz darauf, dass ich erfolgreich war.
Here darauf stands in for the earlier noun phrase, and you add dass + clause.
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
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