German Genitive Case

The genitive case expresses possession and relationships between nouns. It is more common in written German and formal speech.

Genitive Case (Possession)

The genitive answers the question: whose? It shows ownership or close relationship between nouns.

Common Mistakes

Genitive is often replaced incorrectly with dative in spoken German.

• Using dative instead of genitive.
• Forgetting 's' in masculine/neuter genitive forms.
• Misplacing noun order in possession.
• Overusing genitive in spoken informal German.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Before using genitive, check the relationship between nouns.

• Am I showing possession?
• Is this a formal or written context?
• Does a preposition require genitive?
• Should I use dative instead in spoken German?
• Is the noun masculine or neuter?

• Genitive usually follows the noun it modifies.
• Possession is expressed without 'of' word order.
• Prepositions control genitive usage.
• Word order remains V2 in main clauses.

Word Order in Genitive

Genitive does not change word order much, but affects noun structure.

What Is the Genitive Case?

The genitive case is mainly used to show possession (belonging) and relationships between nouns. It often translates as 'of' or the English possessive 's.

Noun Chains

German can stack genitives to form long noun phrases.

Showing Possession

Genitive is often used to show ownership between two nouns.

Example Sentences

Example Structures

Genitive Pronouns

Genitive pronouns exist but are less commonly used in spoken German.

Genitive Article Changes

Genitive changes mainly affect masculine and neuter nouns.

Genitive Prepositions

Some prepositions always require the genitive case.

Comparison of All Cases

Each German case has a specific grammatical function.