The Genitive Case
Express possession and relationships using the genitive case.
🎯 Grammar Focus
- Genitive articles: des/der/des/der
- Noun endings in genitive: -s/-es (masculine/neuter)
- Genitive prepositions: wegen, trotz, während, statt, aufgrund
- Genitive with adjectives: -en
The Genitive Case (Der Genitiv)
What is the Genitive?
The genitive expresses possession or relationship (English: 's or "of").
- Das Buch des Mannes — The man's book / The book of the man - Die Farbe des Himmels — The color of the sky
Genitive Articles
| Gender | Definite | Indefinite | |--------|----------|-----------| | Masculine | des (+s/es) | eines | | Feminine | der | einer | | Neuter | des (+s/es) | eines | | Plural | der | — |
Masculine/Neuter Noun Endings
Most masculine and neuter nouns add -s (or -es for 1-syllable words): - der Mann → des Mannes - das Buch → des Buches - der Vater → des Vaters - das Auto → des Autos
Genitive Prepositions (Always Genitive)
| Preposition | Meaning | Example | |-------------|---------|---------| | wegen | because of | wegen des Wetters | | trotz | despite | trotz des Regens | | während | during | während des Sommers | | statt/anstatt | instead of | statt des Kaffees | | aufgrund | due to | aufgrund des Fehlers | | innerhalb | within | innerhalb eines Jahres | | außerhalb | outside of | außerhalb der Stadt |
💡 In spoken German, 'wegen' and 'trotz' often take dative (wegen dem Wetter). In formal writing, always use genitive.
▶️ Watch & Learn
🎯 Practice Exercises
Genitive of 'der Mann': 'Das Buch ___ Mannes.' (The man's book.)