Genitive case
B1 Genitiv 34 / 52
In short
The genitive is the “of” case: it links two nouns to show possession or a relationship (the man’s car = das Auto des Mannes). It answers Wessen? (whose?). In everyday speech people usually replace it with von + dative, but you must recognise and produce it in writing.
The rule
The genitive marks a noun that “belongs to” another noun. The genitive noun normally comes after the noun it modifies:
das Auto des Mannes = the man’s car die Farbe der Blumen = the colour of the flowers
Articles change like this:
| masculine | neuter | feminine | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | der | das | die | die |
| genitive | des | des | der | der |
Masculine and neuter nouns also add -s or -es. Use -es after one syllable or after -s/-ss/-ß/-z/-tz/-x; use -s with longer words:
| noun | genitive |
|---|---|
| der Mann | des Mannes |
| das Kind | des Kindes |
| das Haus | des Hauses |
| das Auto | des Autos |
| der Lehrer | des Lehrers |
Feminine and plural nouns get no extra ending - only the article changes: die Frau -> der Frau, die Kinder -> der Kinder.
In speech, the genitive is widely replaced by von + dative:
das Auto des Mannes -> das Auto von dem Mann / vom Mann
Both mean the same; von + Dativ sounds more natural when speaking, the pure genitive is the written/formal choice.
Forms & patterns
Full noun phrase (article + adjective + noun). The genitive adjective ending is always -en - this completes the table from lesson 25:
| pattern | example | |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | des + adj-en + Nomen-es | des guten Mannes |
| neuter | des + adj-en + Nomen-es | des kleinen Kindes |
| feminine | der + adj-en + Nomen | der schönen Stadt |
| plural | der + adj-en + Nomen | der alten Häuser |
Proper names take -s with NO apostrophe. The name goes in front of the noun:
Annas Buch = Anna’s book Peters Auto = Peter’s car Deutschlands Hauptstadt = Germany’s capital
If the name already ends in an s-sound (-s, -ß, -x, -z), German writing uses an apostrophe with no extra -s: Hans’ Auto, Max’ Idee.
Genitive prepositions (full treatment in lesson 47) - the most common are:
| preposition | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| während | during | während des Films |
| wegen | because of | wegen des Wetters |
| trotz | despite | trotz des Regens |
| (an)statt | instead of | statt des Kaffees |
Examples
| Deutsch | English |
|---|---|
| Das ist das Fahrrad des Lehrers. | That is the teacher’s bike. |
| Die Farbe der Blumen gefällt mir. | I like the colour of the flowers. |
| Der Titel des Buches ist sehr lang. | The title of the book is very long. |
| Annas Schwester wohnt in Berlin. | Anna’s sister lives in Berlin. |
| Trotz des schlechten Wetters gehen wir spazieren. | Despite the bad weather we go for a walk. |
| Während der Pause trinke ich einen Kaffee. | During the break I drink a coffee. |
| Das Auto vom Nachbarn ist neu. (Umgangssprache) | The neighbour’s car is new. (colloquial) |
| Am Ende des langen Tages waren alle müde. | At the end of the long day everyone was tired. |
Common mistakes
- das Auto der Mannes -> das Auto des Mannes - masculine/neuter genitive article is des, not der (der is feminine/plural).
- des Mann -> des Mannes - masculine/neuter nouns need the added -s/-es in the genitive.
- der Hund die Frau -> der Hund der Frau - feminine genitive article is der, and von + Dativ (von der Frau) also works in speech.
- des guter Mannes -> des guten Mannes - the genitive adjective ending is always -en.
- Anna’s Buch -> Annas Buch - German uses no apostrophe before the possessive -s.
Tips
- Ask Wessen? (whose?) to find the genitive: “Wessen Auto?” -> “Das Auto des Mannes.”
- Memory hook for the articles: masc/neut -> des, fem/plural -> der. Only des triggers the extra noun ending.
- When in doubt while speaking, switch to von + Dativ (vom Mann, von der Frau) - it is correct and natural; save the pure genitive for writing.
- Proper names: name before the noun, add -s, never an apostrophe (Peters Auto).