The Genitive Case in German
The Genitive Case in German
The Genitive case (Genitiv) expresses possession or relationships. It answers the question “Wessen?” (Whose?) and is often translated as “of” or with an apostrophe + s in English (e.g., Das Auto des Mannes = The man’s car).
Genitive Articles and Endings for Nouns
The Genitive is formed differently based on the gender and number of nouns.
Gender | Definite Article | Indefinite Article | Genitive Ending |
Masculine | des Mannes | eines Mannes | -s / -es |
Neuter | des Kindes | eines Kindes | -s / -es |
Feminine | der Frau | einer Frau | No change |
Plural | der Kinder | – | No change |
Examples:
Die Farbe des Autos.
The color of the car.
Das Buch des Lehrers.
The teacher’s book.
Die Meinung der Frau.
The woman’s opinion.
Die Noten der Schüler.
The students’ grades.
Genitive Endings for Masculine and Neuter Nouns (-s or -es?)
For masculine and neuter nouns, the Genitive form usually adds -s or -es.
Monosyllabic (Short / noun with one syllable) Nouns → “-es” Ending
If a masculine or neuter noun is one syllable long, -es is added in the Genitive case.
Examples:
Das Ende des Tages.
The end of the day.
Der Preis des Hauses.
The price of the house.
Der Duft des Waldes.
The scent of the forest.
Die Tür des Zimmers.
The door of the room.
Exception: Some short nouns (especially with consonant clusters at the end) can take just “-s”.
Examples:
Der Titel des Films (auch Filmes).
The title of the movie.
Die Qualität des Tons (auch Tones).
The quality of the sound.
Multisyllabic (Long / Nouns with multiple syllables) Nouns → “-s” Ending
If a masculine or neuter noun has two or more syllables, it only takes -s in the Genitive case.
Examples:
Die Struktur des Gebäudes.
The structure of the building.
Der Name des Lehrers.
The name of the teacher.
Das Ziel des Projekts.
The goal of the project.
Die Bedeutung des Wortes.
The meaning of the word.
Genitive in Noun-to-Noun Combinations
Genitive is often used to connect two nouns, where the first noun describes or owns the second noun.
Examples:
Die Tür des Hauses.
The door of the house.
Der Geschmack des Weins.
The taste of the wine.
Das Fenster des Zimmers.
The window of the room.
Die Blätter des Baumes (auch Baums).
The leaves of the tree.
- Alternative in Spoken German:
In spoken German, Genitive is often replaced by “von + Dative”:
Die Blätter des Baumes → Die Blätter von dem Baum.
Genitive with Names of Persons
When a person’s name (Eigenname)is in the Genitive case, -s is added without an apostrophe (except names ending in s, ß, x, z).
Examples:
Peters Auto.
Peter’s car.
Annas Meinung.
Anna’s opinion.
Thomas’ Haus.
Thomas’s house (apostrophe needed because it ends in “s”).
Max’ Buch.
Max’s book.
Felix’ Fahrrad.
Felix’s bicycle
Franz’ Idee.
Franz’s idea.
- Alternative in Spoken German:
Das Auto Peters → Das Auto von Peter (More common in spoken language).
Genitive with Countries and Places
Countries and cities without an article don’t change in Genitive.
Examples:
Die Wirtschaft Deutschlands.
Germany’s economy.
Die Sehenswürdigkeiten Berlins.
Berlin’s attractions.
- Countries with an article use des / der:
Die Kultur der Schweiz.
The culture of Switzerland.
Die Strände des Irans.
The beaches of Iran.
Genitive with N-Declension (Weak Nouns)
Some masculine nouns (especially ending in -e, -ent, -ist, -at, -ant, -oge, -graf, -soph) follow N-Declension. Instead of -s/-es, they take -en in the Genitive.
Examples:
Die Rede des Studenten.
The speech of the student.
Die Ideen des Journalisten.
The ideas of the journalist.
Das Werk des Diplomaten.
The work of the diplomat.
- List of masculine nouns with endings mentioned above
-e (oft schwache Nomen – Personen)
der Junge
der Kunde
der Kollege
der Experte
der Bote
der Löwe
-ent
der Student
der Präsident
der Dozent
der Patient
der Referent
der Produzent
-ist
der Journalist
der Polizist
der Pianist
der Jurist
der Tourist
der Spezialist
-at
der Demokrat
der Soldat
der Kandidat
der Diplomat
der Automat
der Advokat
-ant
der Praktikant
der Lieferant
der Demonstrant
der Elefant
der Musikant
der Informant
-oge
der Biologe
der Psychologe
der Theologe
der Pädagoge
der Soziologe
der Archäologe
-graf
der Fotograf
der Geograph / -f
der Choreograph / -f
der Biograph /-f
der Lithograph / -f
-soph
der Philosoph (This ending is rare; almost only Philosoph is commonly used.)
- Common N-Declension Nouns:
der Student → des Studenten
der Präsident → des Präsidenten
der Kunde → des Kunden