Ultralingua Dictionary Login
The Genitive Case
The genitive case expresses possession or relationships between nouns. Examples:
- Im Namen des Vaters (In the name of the Father)
- Das Portrait der Dame (The Portrait of The Lady)
- Der Name der Rose (The Name of the Rose)
- Das Schweigen der Lämmer (The Silence of The Lambs)
- Der Herr der Ringe (The Lord of the Rings)
- Der Herr der Fliegen (The Lord of the Flies)
Example sentences:
- Die Mutter ihres Vaters ist ihre Großmutter. (Her father's mother is her grandmother.)
- Die Mutter ihrer Mutter ist ebenfalls Ihre Großmutter. (The mother of her mother is also her grandmother.)
- Sie wurde zum Champion des Jahres. (She became champion of the year.)
- Die Fußballmannschaft unserer Kinder ist mittelmäßig. (Our children's soccer team is average.)
The genitive case with names
When we use a name in the genitive case, it precedes the other noun and has an s attached to it (without apostrophe). Example sentences:
- Peters Band spielt gut. (Peter's band plays well.)
- Elisabeths Arbeit is interessant. (Elisabeth's work is interesting.)
- Frau Müllers Interessen sind ausgefallen. (Ms. Müller's interests are unusual.)
Prepositions with the genitive
The four most frequently-used genitive prepositions are wegen (because of), während (during), trotz (in spite of), and statt (instead of). Example sentences:
- Wegen des Regens bleiben wir zu Hause. (Because of the rain, we are staying home.)
- Während seines Urlaubs ging es ihm fantastisch. (During his trip he was doing spledndidly.)
- Trotz des Regens gehen wir nach draußen. (We are going outside in spite of the rain.)
- Statt eines Autos hat sie sich ein Motorrad gekauft. (She bought a motorcycle instead of a car.)
- Trotz seiner Bemühungen hat es nicht geklappt. (In spite of his efforts it did not work out.)
In spoken German, wegen is often used with the dative instead of the genitive:
- Wegen dem Regen bleiben wir zu Hause. (Because of the rain we are staying home.)
