Genitive in German

The genitive case in German shows possession or close relationships between nouns. It answers the question “whose?” and is often used to indicate ownership or a part of something.

When to Use the Genitive Case

The genitive case is used in these situations:

1. To show possession or belonging
2. After certain prepositions that require the genitive case
3. With certain verbs that require the genitive case

Genitive Case to Show Possession

The most common use of the genitive case is to indicate possession.

Example:
Das ist das Auto des Mannes.
Translation: “That is the man’s car.”
Explanation: Des Mannes shows that the car belongs to the man.

Example:
Die Farbe der Wand ist schön.
Translation: “The color of the wall is beautiful.”
Explanation: Der Wand shows possession of the color.

Genitive Case Structure

In German, the possessor comes after the possessed object.

Example:
Das Buch des Lehrers. – “The teacher’s book.”

This is different from English, where the possessor usually comes before the possessed object.

Genitive Case Articles

Articles in the genitive case change depending on the gender and number of the noun.

Gender	Definite Article	Indefinite Article
Masculine	des	eines
Feminine	der	einer
Neuter	des	eines
Plural	der	– (no indefinite)

For masculine and neuter nouns, an “-s” or “-es” is added to the noun.

Example:
Das Haus des Kindes. – “The child’s house.” (Kind + -es)
Das Auto des Mannes. – “The man’s car.” (Mann + -es)

Short nouns usually take “-es,” while longer nouns often take “-s.”

Genitive with Prepositions

Certain prepositions always take the genitive case.

Common genitive prepositions:

• während (during)
• trotz (despite)
• wegen (because of)
• anstatt (instead of)
• innerhalb (inside of)
• außerhalb (outside of)

Example:
Wegen des Regens bleiben wir zu Hause.
Translation: “Because of the rain, we stay at home.”

Example:
Trotz des Wetters gehen wir spazieren.
Translation: “Despite the weather, we go for a walk.”

Genitive with Certain Verbs

Some verbs in German require the genitive case.

Common genitive verbs include:

• gedenken (to commemorate)
• bedürfen (to need)
• sich erinnern (to remember)
• sich bemächtigen (to seize)

Example:
Wir gedenken der Opfer.
Translation: “We commemorate the victims.”

Example:
Er bedarf der Hilfe.
Translation: “He needs the help.”

Genitive Pronouns

Personal pronouns also change in the genitive case.

English	Genitive Pronoun
my	meiner
your (informal)	deiner
his	seiner
her	ihrer
its	seiner
our	unserer
your (plural)	eurer
their	ihrer
your (formal)	Ihrer

 

Example:
Ich erinnere mich deiner. – “I remember you.”

Common Phrases Using the Genitive Case

• Während des Essens. – “During the meal.”
• Trotz des Sturms. – “Despite the storm.”
• Anstatt des Autos nahm er das Fahrrad. – “Instead of the car, he took the bike.”
• Innerhalb der Stadt. – “Inside the city.”

These examples show how the genitive case is used to express possession and with certain prepositions and verbs in German.

Exercises

Here are exercises to practice the genitive case in German. The solutions are provided in a separate section after the exercises.

---

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blank with the Correct Article

Fill in the blanks with the correct genitive article: des, der, eines, or einer.

1. Das ist das Buch ___ Lehrers. (That is the teacher’s book.)
2. Die Farbe ___ Wand ist schön. (The color of the wall is beautiful.)
3. Während ___ Films war es sehr laut. (During the movie, it was very loud.)
4. Trotz ___ Regens gingen wir spazieren. (Despite the rain, we went for a walk.)
5. Anstatt ___ Autos nahm er das Fahrrad. (Instead of the car, he took the bike.)

---

Exercise 2: Choose the Correct Genitive Pronoun

Choose the correct genitive pronoun to complete each sentence.

1. Ich erinnere mich ___. (I remember you.)
2. Wir gedenken ___. (We commemorate them.)
3. Er bedarf ___. (He needs her.)
4. Sie bemächtigten sich ___. (They seized it.)
5. Wir gedachten ___. (We remembered him.)

---

Exercise 3: Rewrite the Sentences Using the Genitive Case

Rewrite the following sentences using the genitive case to show possession.

1. Das Auto von dem Mann ist neu. (The man’s car is new.)
2. Die Tasche von der Frau ist teuer. (The woman’s bag is expensive.)
3. Das Haus von dem Kind ist groß. (The child’s house is big.)
4. Die Bücher von den Studenten sind auf dem Tisch. (The students’ books are on the table.)
5. Das Handy von der Lehrerin ist kaputt. (The teacher’s phone is broken.)

---

Exercise 4: Translate into German (Using the Genitive Case)

Translate the following sentences into German.

1. The teacher’s book is on the table.
2. During the night, it rained a lot.
3. Despite the weather, we went outside.
4. The child’s toy is under the bed.
5. Instead of the man, his brother came.

---

Solutions