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The Genitive Case

Possession and formal usage

Genitive shows possession

Often equivalent to English 's or 'of'.

📊 Genitive articles
Gender Definite Noun ending
masculine des +(e)s
feminine der —
neuter des +(e)s
plural der —
💬 Examples
das Auto des Mannes
the man's car
📝 des + masculine noun + -s
die Farbe der Blume
the colour of the flower
📝 der = feminine genitive
Masculine/neuter nouns add -(e)s

The noun itself takes an ending.

💬 Examples
des Kindes
of the child
📝 Kind → Kindes
des Hauses
of the house
📝 +es after a short noun
Genitive prepositions

wegen, während, trotz, (an)statt take the genitive.

💬 Examples
wegen des Wetters
because of the weather
📝 wegen + genitive
während des Tages
during the day
📝 während + genitive