German Genitive Case: Articles, Endings & Examples
German genitive case explained: Genitive articles, adjective endings, and noun suffixes (des/der, -en, -(e)s) — B1 reference with examples and practice.
What is the German genitive case?
The German genitive case marks possession and answers the question "whose?" — it is the German equivalent of English "of the" or the possessive 's. At B1, the genitive shows up in three places: possession, after the genitive prepositions trotz / wegen / während / statt, and after a handful of verbs and adjective constructions.
You can drill the genitive right here — the interactive exercises further down are free, require no sign-up, and check each article and noun ending the moment you submit it.
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.
Three things change at once in the genitive: the article (der → des, die → der), the noun itself for masculine and neuter forms (Mann → Mannes), and any adjective in the noun phrase (alt → alten). This reference walks through each layer and ends with the common mistakes learners actually make.
Genitive at a glance: quick reference
| Gender / number | Def. article | Indef. article | Adjective ending | Noun suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | des | eines | -en | -(e)s | des alten Mannes |
| Feminine | der | einer | -en | — | der alten Frau |
| Neuter | des | eines | -en | -(e)s | des alten Hauses |
| Plural | der | — | -en | — | der alten Bücher |
Two shapes to remember: des / eines for masculine and neuter, der / einer for feminine and plural. Adjectives are always -en. Masculine and neuter nouns add -(e)s.
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: eines / einer
| 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 a quantifier like einiger
The same -es / -er ending applies to possessive determiners in the genitive (meines, deines, seiner, …) and to kein (keines, keiner).
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.
German genitive adjective endings: always -en
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. The same logic carries over to nominalized adjectives in the genitive — des Deutschen, eines Bekannten, der Reisenden.
German genitive noun ending: -(e)s and -en
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
This last group is a frequent source of errors — see the common-mistakes section below.
10 exercises on this rule · about 5 min
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
These are the genitive errors learners produce most often. Read each pair, then say the correct version out loud.
1. Forgetting the -(e)s on masculine or neuter nouns
The article alone is not enough. The noun has to inflect too.
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| das Auto | das Auto des Mannes | One-syllable masc → add -es |
| das Dach | das Dach des Hauses | Ends in -s → -es required |
| das Zimmer | das Zimmer des Kindes | One-syllable neuter → add -es |
2. Adding -es to a feminine noun
Feminine nouns never inflect for the genitive — only the article changes from die to der.
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
| die Farbe | die Farbe der Blume |
| die Stimme | die Stimme einer Frau |
| die Tür | die Tür der Wohnung |
3. Treating n-Deklination nouns like normal masculine nouns
Weak masculine nouns (Student, Kunde, Mensch, Junge, Nachbar, Herr, Name…) take -n or -en, not -s. This is the n-Deklination, and it surprises learners who have already memorized des -es.
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
| das Buch | das Buch des Studenten |
| die Frage | die Frage des Kunden |
| die Meinung | die Meinung des Menschen |
4. Choosing the wrong register: genitive vs. von + dative
The genitive is the written/formal default; von + dative is the spoken/informal default. Both are correct German — the mistake is mixing the registers.
| Context | Natural |
|---|---|
| Essay, news article, exam | die Meinung des Autors |
| Casual conversation | die Meinung vom Autor |
| No article available (Wein, Käse) | der Geschmack von Wein (genitive impossible) |
Using von in a formal report sounds sloppy; insisting on the genitive in casual speech sounds stiff. Choose the register to match the situation.
5. Forgetting -en after wegen / trotz with an adjective
After the genitive prepositions trotz, wegen, während, statt, the adjective still follows the always--en rule.
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
| trotz | trotz des schlechten Wetters |
| wegen | wegen der hohen Preise |
| während | während des langen Vortrags |
When to use the genitive — and when von + dativeis fine
The genitive is the right choice when:
- You are writing — essays, emails, reports, news, academic prose.
- The noun phrase carries a definite or indefinite article (des Autors, einer Studentin).
- You're after one of the four core genitive prepositions: trotz, wegen, während, statt.
Switch to von + dative when:
- You're speaking informally and possession is the only point (die Tasche von meiner Schwester).
- The noun is bare — no article and no adjective (der Preis von Brot, not
des Brots). - A proper name without an -s would sound forced (ein Freund von Anna).
Related grammar
Frequently asked questions
What is the German genitive case used for?
The German genitive case marks possession (das Auto des Mannes — the man's car) and follows the genitive prepositions trotz, wegen, während, and statt. It also appears after a small set of verbs (sich erinnern, bedürfen) and fixed adjective constructions. In modern spoken German, possession is often expressed with von + dative instead, but written and B1-level German still expects the genitive.
What are the genitive articles in German?
Definite genitive articles are des for masculine and neuter nouns and der for feminine and plural nouns. The indefinite counterparts are eines (masculine, neuter) and einer (feminine); there is no indefinite plural. So you get des Mannes, der Frau, des Kindes, der Kinder.
Do feminine nouns change in the genitive?
No. Feminine nouns themselves never take a genitive suffix — only the article changes from die to der. You say die Farbe der Blume, never der Blumes. Plural nouns behave the same way: the article shifts to der, but the noun itself is unchanged.
Is wegen genitive or dative?
In standard written German, wegen takes the genitive: wegen des Wetters. In everyday spoken German, especially in southern regions, wegen + dative (wegen dem Wetter) is widespread and accepted in informal contexts. At B1 level, use the genitive in writing and exams. See the related doc on genitive prepositions for trotz, während, and statt.
When can you replace the genitive with von + dative?
Von + dative is the natural spoken-register replacement for possession (die Farbe von dem Auto instead of des Autos) and is required when an article is missing (der Geschmack von Wein — never des Wein). In formal writing, keep the genitive. The rule of thumb: speech and informal texts lean on von, while academic, journalistic, and exam contexts expect the genitive.
Where can I practice the German genitive case for free?
On this very page. The genitive drill below has you build phrases like des alten Mannes and der hohen Preise, costs nothing and needs no account, and grades every article, ending, and -(e)s suffix the instant you answer.