The Ultimate Guide to Understanding the German Genitive!
Did you start studying German? Most likely you already got to know the “German Dative”. German cases often unsettle students as they do not fully understand their meaning. After reading this article, you will be a pro in terms of “Dative” and ready for our upcoming adventure called “Genitive”.
German grammar – the cases
German sentences are built up by four cases. Depending on your first language or the ones you have already studied, it will be easier or more challenging for you to understand their concept. However, you should know that you cannot (!) run away from studying the four cases (4 Fälle) if you wish to accomplish a higher level than A1. Also, you should know that once you have understood their concept, you have already won half the battle.
In the last two articles – The Ultimate Guide to understanding the German Nominative! and The Ultimate Guide to understanding the German Accusative! – I discussed the concept of the first German case Nominative and the second case, called Accusative. As a quick reminder: Nominative’s role is to describe the subject – somebody or something that does something in the sentence. In contrast, Accusative describes the direct object – somebody or something that does not do something active, but something is done to it.
Recommended study materials on the topic:
A-Grammar: Practice German grammar German (incl. answers)
B-Grammar: Practice German grammar German (incl. answers)
German self-study book for A1-B1 (incl. answers)
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What is the German Genitive?
The German genitive case indicates the relationship of two nouns in the sense of possession or belonging. The use of the genitive case is considered more formal and is more prevalent in written German. In everyday spoken language, it's often replaced by constructions using the dative case with "von" (of) + the dative case, especially when referring to people.
Tip: The genitive or 'possessive' case shows a relationship, not always ownership, between two nouns.
An example of Genitive:
Das Auto des Mannes ist neu. → The man's car is new.
Deutschlands Hauptstadt ist Berlin. → Germany's capital is Berlin.
Genitive question words
In German, genitive question words are used similarly to how they are used in English for asking about possession or ownership. The primary genitive question word in German is "wessen," equivalent to "whose" in English.
Here are some examples:
Wessen Buch ist das? → Whose book is this?
Wessen Auto steht draußen? → Whose car is parked outside?
Wessen Idee war es, dieses Projekt zu starten? → Whose idea was it to start this project?
Forming the German Genitive
In German, the Genitive case can be formed in two distinct ways, each depending on its specific context.
1. Forming the Genitiv by adding an “s”
In German, akin to English, you can add an “s” to specific nouns to indicate their relationship, but unlike English, there's no need for an apostrophe.
1. This applies mainly to country names: those without articles take an -s in the genitive, while countries with articles (like die Schweiz) also retain their article in the genitive.
For example:
Die Zugspitze ist Deutschlands höchster Berg. → The Zugspitze is Germany's highest mountain.
Paris ist Frankreichs Hauptstadt. → Paris is France's capital.
2. Similar to English, names in German receive an '-s' ending and are placed before the word they refer to.
For example:
Frankfurt am Main ist Goethes Geburtsstadt. → Frankfurt am Main is Goethe's birthplace.
Schokoladenkuchen ist Janas Lieblingskuchen. → Chocolate cake is Jana's favorite cake.
3. For proper names that end in an s sound (-s, -ß, -z or -x), there is an apostrophe instead of the ending -s.
For example:
Max’ Auto ist rot. → Max’s car is red.
Jens’ Schwester heißt Franka. → Jens’ sister’s name is Franka.
2. Forming the Genitiv by using articles
As you have already learned, the German language offers its speakers three genders: male, female, and neuter. Now, moving on to the Genitive case, which expresses possession or relationship, the articles change differently compared to the Dative and Accusative cases. In Genitive, the masculine "der" changes to "des" and the feminine "die" to "der". Following the masculine pattern, Neuter also changes "das" to "des". For plural, regardless of gender, "die" becomes "der".
Hence, in the Genitive case, "des" and "der" become crucial to indicate possession. For example, “des Mannes” means “of the man”, and “der Frau” means “of the woman”.
| Defined article | Undefined article | ||
| Male | des (of the) | eines (of a) | Das Fahrrad des/eines Mannes . |
| Female | der (of the) | einer (of a) | Die Hose der/einer Frau ist teuer. |
| Neuter | des (of the) | eines (of a) | Die Freunde des/eines Kindes sind nett. |
| Plural | der (of the) | / | Das Haus der Menschen. |
Adding “-s” and “-es” in Genitive
In German, if a noun ends in a hissing sound, such as -s, -ss, -z, or -tz, an 'es' is added to the male and neuter noun in the Genitive case.
For example:
des Hauses (of the house)
des Tanzes (of the dance)
des Sitzes (of the seat)
If a noun ends with a vowel or a vowel (a, o, u, e, i) or -h, an 's' is added to the male and neuter noun in the Genitive case.
For example:
des Schnees (of the snow)
des Gebäudes (of the building)
des Strohs (of the straw).
The Genitive Dative personal pronouns
While personal pronouns in the genitive case resemble possessive pronouns in form, their usage in sentences differs. Personal pronouns in the genitive are relatively infrequent in German, as they are typically used only with specific verbs.
| ich | → meiner |
| du | → deiner |
| er | → seiner |
| sie | → ihrer |
| es | → seiner |
| uns | → unser |
| ihr | → euer |
| sie | → ihrer |
| Sie (formal) | → Ihrer |
Examples of using Genitive personal pronouns:
enthalten - to restrain
Die Diskussion ist kompliziert. Sie möchte sich ihrer enthalten. → The discussion is complicated. She wants to abstain from it.
erinnern - to remember
Er ist ein Star und man wird sich seiner erinnern. → He is a star and will be remembered.
gedenken - commemorate
Wenn er tot ist, werden sie seiner gedenken. → When he is dead, they will remember him.
Genitive Verbs
In addition to indicating a clear relationship between two nouns, certain verbs in German also require the use of the Genitive case.
Examples of verbs that require the genitive are:
jemanden einer Sache
anklagen (to accuse someone of something)
beschuldigen (to accuse someone of something)
überführen (to convict someone of something)
sich einer Sache
enthalten (to abstain from something)
rühmen (to boast about something)
schämen (to be ashamed of something)
einer Sache bzw. Person
gedenken (commemorate a thing or person)
Herr werden (to master a thing or person)
bedürfen (to need a thing or person)
Tip: In spoken German, the Genitiv is commonly replaced with "von" + Dative.
Genitive prepositions
Genitive prepositions in German are an integral part of mastering the language's syntax and are used to express relationships between nouns, often indicating possession, origin, or cause. These prepositions always require the nouns following them to be in the Genitive case.
Some common Genitive prepositions include:
wegen (because of)
trotz (despite)
während (during)
anstatt or statt (instead of)
außerhalb (outside of)
innerhalb (inside of)
oberhalb (above)
unterhalb (below)
For instance, in the sentence "Wegen des Wetters bleiben wir zu Hause" (Because of the weather, we are staying at home), "des Wetters" is in the Genitive case due to the preposition "wegen."
Understanding and using these prepositions correctly is essential for expressing complex ideas and relationships in German. They are particularly significant in formal and written German, as they add precision and variety to the language.
The German Genitiv possessive pronouns
The German Genitiv (genitive) possessive pronouns are used to indicate possession or a relationship to something. Unlike in English, where possessive pronouns are straightforward (my, your, his, her), in German, these pronouns change based on gender, number, and the case of the related noun.
These pronouns are essential in constructing sentences expressing ownership or a possessive relationship, especially with nouns and verbs that demand the Genitiv case. For example, "Das ist das Buch meines Bruders" (That is my brother's book), where "meines" is the Genitiv form of "mein" used because "Bruder" (brother) is a masculine noun.
| des (m) | der (f) | des (n) | der (pl) | |
| meines | meiner | meines | meiner | |
| deines | deiner | deines | deiner | |
| seines | seiner | seines | seiner | |
| ihres | ihrer | ihres | ihrer | |
| seines | seiner | seines | seiner | |
| unseres | unserer | unseres | unserer | |
| eures | eurer | eures | eurer | |
| ihres | ihrer | ihres | ihrer | |
| Ihres | Ihrer | Ihres | Ihrer |
Conclusion
It's essential to grasp all four German cases for correct sentence formation, and hopefully, this article has helped you understand the Genitive case. You should also check out the detailed article about the German Genitive prepositions.
Bis bald!
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