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The genitive case is used to show possession or relationship. While less common in modern spoken German (often replaced by the dative case with «von»), it’s still important in formal writing and certain expressions. In this chapter, we’ll explore the formation and uses of the genitive case.

What the Genitive Case Indicates

The genitive case answers the question «Wessen?» (Whose?) and is used primarily to show:

Possession: Whose thing is it?

Relationship: The relationship of something to something else.

With Certain Prepositions: Certain prepositions always require the genitive case.

With Certain Verbs: Some verbs historically required it but this is now very rare.

Forming the Genitive

The genitive case affects articles, nouns, and adjectives.

Masculine and Neuter Nouns:

The article changes to:

des (for definite articles: the)

eines (for indefinite articles: a/an)

Most masculine and neuter nouns add an “-s» or “-es» ending in the genitive case (especially monosyllabic nouns). If the noun already ends in “-s,» “-ß,» “-x,» “-z,» or “-tz,» only add an apostrophe.

Feminine and Plural Nouns:

The article changes to:

der (for definite articles: the)

no indefinite article exists in the plural

Feminine and plural nouns do not change their form in the genitive case.

Examples of Genitive Forms

Case Masculine Feminine Neuter Plural

Nominative der Mann (the man) die Frau (the woman) das Kind (the child) die Kinder (the children)

Genitive des Mannes der Frau des Kindes der Kinder

Using the Genitive

Here’s how the genitive is used in sentences:

Showing Possession: The genitive typically comes before the noun it modifies.

Das Auto des Mannes ist teuer. (das au-to des man-nes ist toi-er) – The car of the man is expensive. (The man’s car is expensive.)

Die Farbe des Himmels ist blau. (dee far-be des him-mels ist blau) – The color of the sky is blue. (The sky’s color is blue.)

Die Kinder der Frau sind nett. (dee kin-der dare frau zint net) – The children of the woman are nice. (The woman’s children are nice.)

With Certain Prepositions: Some prepositions always take the genitive case. However, in modern German, these prepositions are often used with the dative case, especially in spoken language. The most common genitive prepositions are:

während (vay-rent) – during

trotz (trots) – despite

wegen (vay-gen) – because of

statt/anstatt (shtat/ahn-shtat) – instead of

außerhalb (au-ser-halb) – outside of

innerhalb (in-ner-halb) – inside of

Wegen, während, and trotz can sometimes be used with the dative case in spoken language.

Wegen des Regens bleiben wir zu Hause. (vay-gen des ray-gens blai-ben veer tsoo hau-ze) – Because of the rain, we are staying at home.

Während des Konzerts war es sehr laut. (vay-rent des kon-tserts var es zair laut) – During the concert, it was very loud.

Trotz des schlechten Wetters gehen wir spazieren. (trots des shlehh-ten ve-ters gay-en veer shpa-tseer-en) – Despite the bad weather, we are going for a walk.

With Certain Verbs (Rare in Modern German): Some verbs historically required the genitive case, but this is now very rare, and alternative constructions are preferred.

Alternatives to the Genitive

Because the genitive case is becoming less common, there are alternative ways to express possession or relationship:

Using «von + Dative»: This is the most common substitute for the genitive in spoken German.

Das Auto von dem Mann ist teuer. (das au-to fon dame man ist toi-er) – The car of the man is expensive.

Die Farbe von dem Himmel ist blau. (dee far-be fon dame him-mel ist blau) – The color of the sky is blue.

Using Possessive Adjectives:

Das ist sein Auto (that is his car) (instead of «Das ist das Auto des Mannes»).

Das ist ihr Kind (that is her child) (instead of «Das ist das Kind der Frau»).

Word Bank

Genitiv (gay-nee-teef) – Genitive case

Wessen? (ves-sen) – Whose?

des (des) – of the (masculine/neuter genitive article)

der (dare) – of the (feminine/plural genitive article)

während (vay-rent) – during

trotz (trots) – despite

wegen (vay-gen) – because of

Exercises

Change the articles and nouns in the following phrases to the genitive case:

der Mann

die Frau

das Kind

die Kinder

Translate the following sentences into German using the genitive case (where appropriate):

The car of the man is expensive.

The color of the sky is blue.

Despite the rain, we went outside.

Because of the traffic, we were late.

Rewrite the sentences from Exercise 2 using «von + Dative» instead of the genitive.

Create five original sentences using genitive prepositions.

Where appropriate, convert the sentences into alternative constructions with either «von» + the dative or the possessive adjective.

That completes Chapter 17! You now have a solid understanding of the genitive case, its formation, and its uses, as well as common alternatives. While it’s less frequently used in modern spoken German, understanding the genitive is essential for reading formal texts and recognizing grammatical structures.