langula
Genitive
The genitive shows possession or belonging and answers the question 'Wessen?
Das ist das Auto des Lehrers.
That is the teacher's car.
Take a look
- Das ist das Auto des Lehrers.That is the teacher's car.
- Die Farbe der Blume ist rot.The color of the flower is red.
- Trotz des Regens gingen wir spazieren.Despite the rain, we went for a walk.
- Das Dach des Hauses ist alt.The roof of the house is old.
The rule
The genitive shows possession or belonging and answers the question 'Wessen?'. The articles change: der→des, die→der, das→des, die (pl.)→der. Masculine and neuter nouns take the ending '-(e)s'. Certain prepositions require the genitive. Genitive articles: des (masculine/neuter), der (feminine/plural). Masculine and neuter nouns take -(e)s: des Mannes, des Kindes, des Buches. One-syllable nouns often take -es: des Mannes, des Hauses. Multi-syllable nouns often take just -s: des Lehrers. Genitive prepositions: wegen, trotz, während, (an)statt, innerhalb, außerhalb. In everyday speech, the genitive is often replaced by 'von' + dative: das Auto von meinem Bruder.
The forms
Articles in the genitive
| bestimmt | unbestimmt | |
|---|---|---|
| maskulin | des Vaters | eines Vaters |
| feminin | der Mutter | einer Mutter |
| neutral | des Kindes | eines Kindes |
| Plural | der Eltern | — |
Quick check
- Insert the genitive.Das ist die Tasche ___ Frau. (the)
- Choose the correct form.Das Büro ___ Chefs ist groß.
- Form the genitive.das Spielzeug ___ Kindes
- Correct the mistake.Trotz dem Regen gingen wir spazieren.
- Choose the correct preposition.___ des schlechten Wetters blieb er zu Hause.
- Insert the genitive.Das Ende ___ Filmes war überraschend.
The answers appear after “Check”.
- der — Feminine genitive: die → der
- des — Masculine genitive: der → des
- des — Neuter genitive: das → des
- Trotz des Regens gingen wir spazieren. — trotz + genitive: dem → des, Regen → Regens
- Wegen — Reason → wegen + genitive
- des — Masculine genitive: der → des
The same exercises come back in the course — there Langula remembers what you know and asks again at the right moment. Learn German free →
Learn German, don’t just read about it
The sentences on this page are part of the free course — with pronunciation and repetition.