The genitive is the fourth German case, and the one that intimidates learners the most. But its core job is simple: it shows who something belongs to or what something is part of. In English, you do the same thing with 's or of — the genitive is just German's way of doing it.
In the sentence above, meines and Bruders both change form because the brother is the possessor. That whole genitive phrase (meines Bruders) tells us whose car it is.
The Core Idea
What the Genitive Does
The genitive answers the question wessen? (whose?). It marks the noun that possesses or is connected to another noun. Think of it as German's built-in way of saying "of" or "'s".
The genitive appears in three main situations:
- Possession and relationships — das Haus meiner Eltern (my parents' house)
- After certain prepositions — trotz, wegen, während, anstatt
- In fixed expressions and formal language — meines Erachtens (in my opinion)
1. Genitive Articles
The articles change in the genitive. Here is the full picture:
Definite Articles
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die |
| Genitive | des | der | des | der |
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The pattern is straightforward: masculine and neuter share des, while feminine and plural share der.
Indefinite Articles & Possessives
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ein / mein | eine / meine | ein / mein | — / meine |
| Genitive | eines / meines | einer / meiner | eines / meines | — / meiner |
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All ein-words (kein, mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer) follow the same pattern: -es for masculine/neuter, -er for feminine/plural.
2. Noun Endings in the Genitive
This is where the genitive differs from all other cases: the noun itself changes too (for masculine and neuter nouns).
The Rules
Noun Endings Table
| Gender | Nominative | Genitive | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der Mann | des Mannes | add -(e)s |
| Masculine | der Lehrer | des Lehrers | add -s |
| Neuter | das Kind | des Kindes | add -(e)s |
| Neuter | das Auto | des Autos | add -s |
| Feminine | die Frau | der Frau | no change |
| Feminine | die Schule | der Schule | no change |
| Plural | die Kinder | der Kinder | no change |
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Examples
Weak Masculine Nouns (n-Deklination)
A small group of masculine nouns — the so-called weak nouns — add -n or -en instead of -s in the genitive (and in all other non-nominative cases). These are nouns like der Junge, der Kollege, der Student, der Herr.
How to spot weak nouns
Most weak masculine nouns are people or animals, and many end in -e (der Junge, der Kollege, der Löwe) or come from Latin/Greek (der Student, der Präsident, der Journalist). When in doubt, check a dictionary — it will show the genitive form.
3. Showing Possession
The most common use of the genitive is to express who owns or is connected to something. In English, you'd say "my mother's house" or "the house of my mother". In German, the possessor comes after the thing possessed:
Names in the Genitive
With proper names, German works the opposite way — the name with -s comes before the noun (just like English 's):
No apostrophe needed
Unlike English, German does not use an apostrophe for the possessive -s. It's Annas Hund, not Anna's Hund. An apostrophe is only used when the name already ends in -s, -x, or -z: Hans' Auto or Marx' Theorie.
4. Genitive Prepositions
Several prepositions always require the genitive case. These are among the most common:
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wegen | because of | wegen des Wetters |
| trotz | despite | trotz des Regens |
| während | during | während der Pause |
| anstatt / statt | instead of | statt eines Geschenks |
| innerhalb | within | innerhalb eines Jahres |
| außerhalb | outside of | außerhalb der Stadt |
| aufgrund | due to | aufgrund des Problems |
| jenseits | beyond | jenseits der Grenze |
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Examples with Prepositions
5. The von + Dative Alternative
In everyday spoken German, the genitive is often replaced by von + dative. This is completely normal and not considered wrong — though the genitive sounds more formal and is preferred in writing.
| Genitive (formal) | von + Dative (spoken) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| das Haus meines Bruders | das Haus von meinem Bruder | my brother's house |
| die Meinung des Chefs | die Meinung vom Chef | the boss's opinion |
| die Farbe des Autos | die Farbe von dem Auto | the colour of the car |
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When to use which?
Use the genitive in writing, formal speech, and after genitive prepositions (wegen, trotz, während...). Use von + dative in casual conversation — nobody will bat an eye. But know both, because you'll encounter the genitive everywhere in texts, news and books.
6. Adjective Endings in the Genitive
When an adjective sits between the article and the noun in the genitive, the ending is almost always -en — regardless of gender. This is true for all three declension types (weak, strong, mixed).
| Type | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weak (after des/der) | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| Mixed (after eines/meiner) | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| Strong (no article) | -en | -er | -en | -er |
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The genitive is the easiest case for adjective endings: if there's an article, the ending is always -en. Only in strong declension (no article) do feminine and plural take -er.
Examples
How to Recognise the Genitive
When reading German, look for these signals:
Practice Exercises
Fill in the correct genitive form for each gap.
Put the noun phrase into the genitive.