How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective stolz is used with the preposition auf followed by the accusative case to express being proud of someone or something. When you want to express being proud of an action or a specific state, German often uses an infinitive construction with zu instead of a prepositional phrase. Note that the adjective stolz does not change its form based on the gender or number of the person who is feeling the pride. For example, ich bin stolz remains the same whether the speaker is male or female.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the preposition von to mean 'of' in this context. While 'of' often translates to von in English, the correct idiomatic construction for being proud of something in German is stolz auf.
Did you know?
- The German word stolz is a distant relative of the English word 'stout'. Both words share a root meaning 'stiff' or 'standing firm'.
- In German, you can describe someone as stolz to mean they have a stately or noble posture, regardless of whether they have achieved something specific.
- In some older German contexts, the concept of being stolz could carry a connotation of being 'stiff' or 'arrogant' rather than just satisfied.
Examples in context
- Ich bin stolz auf meine Schuhe.I am proud of my shoes.This sentence shows how to use ich bin stolz to express pride in a possession.Tatoeba #562281 by al_ex_an_der, translation #453865 by saasmath
- Ich bin stolz darauf, Arzt zu sein.I am proud of being a doctor.This sentence demonstrates using an infinitive construction with ich bin stolz to express pride in a profession.Tatoeba #10082156 by wolfgangth, translation #258222 by CC
- Ich bin stolz, mit Ungarn verwandt zu sein.I am proud of being related to Hungarians.This sentence shows how to use ich bin stolz to express pride in a connection to a group of people.Tatoeba #12446847 by Waldelfe, translation #4905735 by Ekselans
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Sarah are celebrating her recent graduation.
- FelixHerzlichen Glückwunsch zum Abschluss, Sarah!Congratulations on your graduation, Sarah!
- SarahDanke, Felix. Es war sehr viel Arbeit.Thanks, Felix. It was a lot of work.
- FelixIch bin stolz auf dich!I am proud of you!
- SarahDas bedeutet mir sehr viel.That means a lot to me.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bin, ich, stolz, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
