The Genitiv Case: Elegant, Not Extinct
The Genitiv case expresses possession or belonging. While spoken German sometimes replaces it with Dativ (von + Dativ), written and formal German uses Genitiv constantly. It's worth knowing well.
Forming the Genitiv
Masculine and neuter nouns add -(e)s in Genitiv. Feminine and plural nouns don't change the noun itself — only the article changes.
| Gender | Nominativ | Genitiv | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maskulin | der Mann | des Mannes | das Auto des Mannes |
| Neutrum | das Kind | des Kindes | das Zimmer des Kindes |
| Feminin | die Frau | der Frau | das Buch der Frau |
| Plural | die Kinder | der Kinder | die Stimmen der Kinder |
Common Genitiv prepositions
Several prepositions always take Genitiv: wegen, trotz, während, statt/anstatt, innerhalb, außerhalb, aufgrund, mithilfe.
Deutsch
Wegen des schlechten Wetters sind wir zu Hause geblieben.
English
Because of the bad weather, we stayed home.
Deutsch
Trotz des Regens ging er spazieren.
English
Despite the rain, he went for a walk.
Note on colloquial usage
💡In everyday speech, wegen dem (Dativ) is heard frequently. However, in writing and formal contexts, wegen des (Genitiv) remains the correct standard form.