The Genitive Case
Genitive articles, adjective endings, and noun suffixes — the case of possession.
Overview
The genitive case expresses possession — it answers the question "whose?" and corresponds to English "of the" or the possessive "'s."
Das Auto des Mannes ist rot. — The man's car is red. (literally: the car of the man)
Die Tasche der Frau ist neu. — The woman's bag is new.
At B1 level, the genitive is used with:
- Possession (des, der, eines, einer)
- Genitive prepositions (wegen, trotz, während, statt)
- Certain verbs and adjective constructions
This reference covers the article forms, adjective endings, and noun changes in the genitive case.
Definite Articles in Genitive
| Gender | Nominative | Genitive | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | des | das Auto des Mannes |
| Feminine | die | der | die Tasche der Frau |
| Neuter | das | des | das Zimmer des Kindes |
| Plural | die | der | die Bücher der Kinder |
The pattern is straightforward:
- Masculine and neuter: des
- Feminine and plural: der
Examples
Die Farbe des Autos gefällt mir. — I like the color of the car.
Der Name der Straße ist lang. — The name of the street is long.
Das Spielzeug des Kindes ist kaputt. — The child's toy is broken.
Die Meinungen der Leute sind verschieden. — The people's opinions are different.
Note: feminine genitive der looks identical to masculine nominative der and feminine dative der — context and the noun ending tell you which case it is.
Indefinite Articles in Genitive
| Gender | Nominative | Genitive | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | ein | eines | das Büro eines Mannes |
| Feminine | eine | einer | die Stimme einer Frau |
| Neuter | ein | eines | das Dach eines Hauses |
| Plural | — | — | (no indefinite plural in German) |
The pattern mirrors the definite articles:
- Masculine and neuter: eines
- Feminine: einer
- Plural: no indefinite article exists; use the noun alone or "einiger/einiger"
Examples
Das ist das Büro eines Arztes. — That is the office of a doctor.
Ich habe die Stimme einer Frau gehört. — I heard the voice of a woman.
Das Dach eines alten Hauses war beschädigt. — The roof of an old house was damaged.
Adjective Endings in Genitive
This is the simplest rule in all of German adjective declension:
In the genitive case, ALL adjective endings are -en.
It does not matter whether the article is definite, indefinite, or absent. It does not matter whether the noun is masculine, feminine, neuter, or plural. The answer is always -en.
| Type | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Definite (des/der) | des alten Mannes | der alten Frau | des alten Hauses | der alten Bücher |
| Indefinite (eines/einer) | eines alten Mannes | einer alten Frau | eines alten Hauses | — |
Examples
Die Qualität des deutschen Bieres ist berühmt. — The quality of German beer is famous.
Trotz des schlechten Wetters gehen wir spazieren. — Despite the bad weather, we go for a walk.
Das ist das Haus einer alten Freundin. — That is the house of an old friend (f.).
Wegen der hohen Preise kaufe ich nichts. — Because of the high prices, I'm not buying anything.
Remember: if you are in genitive, the adjective ending is -en. No exceptions.
Noun Suffixes in Genitive
Masculine and neuter nouns add -(e)s in the genitive case. This is a suffix on the noun itself, in addition to the article change.
Rules for -(e)s
| Noun type | Suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One syllable | usually -es | der Mann → des Mannes, das Buch → des Buches |
| Multi-syllable | usually -s | der Lehrer → des Lehrers, das Auto → des Autos |
| Ending in -s, -ß, -x, -z | -es | das Haus → des Hauses, der Platz → des Platzes |
| Foreign words / names | -s | das Restaurant → des Restaurants |
Examples
Das Auto des Mannes ist blau. — The man's car is blue. (Mann → Mannes)
Die Seiten des Buches sind gelb. — The pages of the book are yellow. (Buch → Buches)
Der Bruder des Lehrers wohnt in Berlin. — The teacher's brother lives in Berlin. (Lehrer → Lehrers)
Das Dach des Hauses ist rot. — The roof of the house is red. (Haus → Hauses)
Important Exceptions
Feminine nouns do NOT add any suffix in the genitive:
Die Farbe der Blume (not
Blumes) — the color of the flower
Plural nouns also do NOT add a suffix:
Die Spielsachen der Kinder (not
Kinders) — the children's toys
Weak masculine nouns (n-Deklination) add -n or -en instead of -s:
Der Name des Studenten (not
des Students) — the student's name
Die Frage des Kunden — the customer's question
Tips
- Genitive articles: des (m/n), der (f/pl) — just two forms to remember.
- Adjective endings are ALWAYS -en in genitive — the simplest case for adjectives. No exceptions.
- Masculine and neuter nouns add -(e)s — don't forget the noun ending, not just the article.
- One-syllable nouns prefer -es, multi-syllable prefer -s — but both are usually acceptable.
- Feminine and plural nouns never change in the genitive — only their articles change.
- In spoken German, genitive is often replaced by "von + dative" (die Farbe von dem Auto), but in writing and formal speech, genitive is expected at B1 level.