How to Use the German Genitive Case

In English, it's easy to point at something and say, "That's mine" or "That's yours," but in German, this requires a separate case. The fourth (and often less-discussed) case in German is the genitive case, used during possessive speech. If you're learning German grammar in a class or online, you've likely had an introduction to the nominative, accusative, and dative cases. Yet the genitive case isn't always as talked about. While some people find that it's disappearing as the German language evolves, others still rely on it in everyday conversation. So, since it's still "technically" used, we figured you might like to know about it. Here, we'll go over everything you need to know about how to use the German genitive case.

Understanding the German Genitive Case

The German genitive case is used to indicate the owner of someone or something in a sentence. It shows a relationship between two different nouns in a given sentence. The genitive noun is used to modify the second noun. It tells us something about the second noun, providing more clarification in a complex sentence. The use of the genitive case is more common in academia and literature, but you may hear it spoken in older generations or certain environments. In English, the genitive noun is marked by an 's.

For example, "The man's pants are blue."

In genitive German, this would be written as "Die Hosen des Mannes sind blau."

As you can see, the "man" takes the genitive case as he is in possession of the pants. Let's take a look at how masculine nouns, neuter nouns, and feminine nouns change in the dative case below:

Examples of the German Genitive Case and Noun Endings

Here are some additional examples to help you see the genitive case in use. Notice some of the changes in the genitive noun endings and how they have an -s or -es attached.

• Das Auto meines Vaters ist blau. — My father's car is blue.
• Der Hut des Mannes liegt auf dem Tisch. — The man's hat is on the table.
• Die Farbe der Blumen gefällt mir. — I like the color of the flowers.
• Das Haus der Nachbarn ist groß. — The neighbor's house is big.
• Die Augen des Kindes sind blau. — The child's eyes are blue.
• Der Name des Buches ist interessant. — The book's title is interesting.
• Die Wohnung der Lehrerin ist in der Stadt. — The teacher's apartment is in the city.
• Der Klang der Musik ist wunderschön. — The sound of the music is beautiful.
• Die Adresse des Restaurants steht auf der Karte. — The restaurant's address is on the map.
• Die Meinung der Schüler ist wichtig. — The students' opinion is important.

Changing Genitive Adjective Endings

You will also need to change the adjective endings that are tied to German genitive nouns. Luckily, they're pretty similar to the changes in the dative case, so it's one less thing you'll need to memorize! Essentially, almost all adjectives in the genitive case will end with -en. If there's no article preceding the noun (like die, das, der, eine, ein), then adjectives that precede feminine or plural nouns will end with -er. 

• Das Auto des reichen Mannes ist teuer. — The rich man's car is expensive.
• Die Blumen der freundlichen Nachbarin sind bunt. — The friendly neighbor's flowers are colorful.
• Das Zimmer des kleinen Kindes ist gemütlich. — The little child's room is cozy.
• Die Augen des traurigen Hundes sind groß. — The sad dog's eyes are big.

When to Use the Genitive Case in German

There are four instances when a speaker or writer may use the genitive case: to talk about possession, with certain prepositions, with certain verbs, and to describe indefinite time. While some Germans won't use the genitive case in language, that doesn't mean it's obsolete yet. The accusative case and dative case are still more common, but the genitive German case is no completely gone (yet). So, it's still worth familiarizing yourself with. To help you practice and get more information on the current use of German cases, download Tandem and match with a native German speaker today! Until then, practice recognizing the genitive case in the instances below.

To Talk About Possession

The most common way to use the genitive case in German is to talk about possession—to whom something belongs. You'll start with the object that's being possessed and then add who or what is doing the possessing. Just make sure that it's in the genitive case! Some examples include:

• Das Auto des Mannes ist schnell. — The man's car is fast.
• Die Wohnung der Familie ist groß. — The family's apartment is large.
• Der Name des Hundes ist Max. — The dog's name is Max.
• Das Buch der Lehrerin liegt auf dem Tisch. — The teacher's book is on the table.
• Die Farbe des Hauses gefällt mir. — I like the color of the house.
• Der Laptop des Studenten ist neu. — The student's laptop is new.
• Die Augen des Babys sind blau. — The baby's eyes are blue.
• Der Geschmack des Kuchens ist süß. — The cake's taste is sweet.
• Die Adresse des Restaurants ist in der Stadtmitte. — The restaurant's address is in the city center.
• Die Meinung der Experten ist wichtig. — The experts' opinion is important.

With Genitive Prepositions

There are also some prepositions that will take the genitive case. You can see each of them with an example below.

anstatt — instead of

• Er trinkt Tee anstatt Kaffee. — He drinks tea instead of coffee.

außerhalb — outside of

• Der Parkplatz ist außerhalb des Gebäudes. — The parking lot is outside of the building.

innerhalb — within

• Die Lösung liegt innerhalb der Möglichkeiten. — The solution is within the possibilities.

trotz — in spite of

• Trotz des Regens gehen wir spazieren. — In spite of the rain, we go for a walk.

während — during

• Während des Films müssen wir leise sein. — We have to be quiet during the movie.

statt — instead of

• Sie nimmt den Bus statt des Zuges. — She takes the bus instead of the train.

aufgrund — because of, due to

• Die Veranstaltung wurde abgesagt aufgrund des Wetters. — The event was canceled because of the weather.

With Genitive Verbs

As with other cases, there are some verbs that can indicate using genitive. Again, this is changing as the language evolves, but it's good to know if you're learning German for any professional reasons.

bedürfen — to need

• Diese Information bedarf keiner Erläuterung. — This information needs no explanation.

gedenken — to commemorate

• Wir gedenken der Opfer. — We commemorate the victims.

sich erinnern — to remember

• Ich erinnere mich seiner Worte. — I remember his words.

sich schämen — to be ashamed

• Er schämt sich seiner Tat. — He is ashamed of his deed.

sich rühmen — to boast, to brag

• Er rühmt sich seiner Erfolge. — He boasts of his successes.

To Talk About Indefinite Time

The genitive case in German can also be used to express possession or association with indefinite time periods. Here are some examples:

• Eines Tages wird alles besser sein. — One day, everything will be better.
• Die Entdeckung des Sommers hat unser Leben verändert. — The discovery of summer has changed our lives.
• Erinnerst du dich der Jugend? — Do you remember the days of youth?
• Die Magie der Nacht fasziniert mich. — The magic of the night fascinates me.
• Wir genießen des Lebens Freuden. — We enjoy the pleasures of life.
• In einer Stunde wird der Zug ankommen. — In an hour, the train will arrive.
• Das Ereignis des Jahrhunderts wird in die Geschichte eingehen. — The event of the century will go down in history.
• Die Ruhe des Wochenendes tut gut. — The peace of the weekend feels good.
• Die Entwicklung der Technologie beeinflusst unsere Gesellschaft. — The development of technology influences our society.
• Die Freuden des Frühlings sind vielfältig. — The joys of spring are diverse.

How the Dative Case is Taking Over

Today, in common everyday German, the dative case is replacing genitive use. While it's still a "nice to know" part of language, you may not actually need it if you're learning it for fun or don't plan to dive into any legal documents. So, if this fourth case is a bit too much to remember, don't stress too much about it.

To help you practice more common German—along with some fun German slang—download Tandem today. Tandem offers a unique language learning experience that will help you deepen your understanding and improve your German pronunciation while learning to apply grammar rules in real conversations. All you need to do is download the app, sign up, and find a native speaker of your target language. Once you match, you’ll begin communicating through language exchange and one-on-one teaching. To join our worldwide community, sign up for Tandem today!