Genitive: Possession and Names
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Learn how the German genitive expresses possession and relationships. Practise articles, noun endings, names, and rewriting von + dative.
Explanation
What does the genitive express?
The genitive answers wessen? (“whose?”) and often links two nouns:
Die Schlüssel des Hausmeisters liegen hier.
Articles and endings
| Gender / number | definite | indefinite | possessive determiner |
|---|
| masculine | des Bruders | eines Bruders | meines Bruders |
| neuter | des Hotels | eines Hotels | unseres Hotels |
| feminine | der Kollegin | einer Kollegin | seiner Kollegin |
| plural | der Gäste | - | ihrer Gäste |
Masculine and neuter singular nouns usually add -s or -es. -es is common with short one-syllable nouns and after s-sounds: des Buches, des Platzes. Many longer nouns take -s: des Computers. Feminine and plural nouns normally have no extra ending.
N-declension keeps its special ending: der Name des Kunden, die Nummer des Kollegen.
Names
A name normally comes before the noun and takes -s, without an article: Leas Fahrrad, Omars Wohnung. If the name ends in -s, -ß, -x, or -z, add only an apostrophe: Felix' Rucksack, Ines' Büro.
Genitive or von + dative?
A genitive phrase can often be replaced by von + dative:
die Entscheidung der Chefin = die Entscheidung von der Chefin
The genitive is common in writing and more formal language; von + dative is often natural in conversation. With names, the preceding form is especially common: Marias Idee.
Exercises
- Complete the genitive phrase. Write the article or possessive determiner and the noun with the correct ending. (11)
- Rewrite the complete sentence. Replace von + dative with a genitive phrase or form the usual possessive with a name. (11)
- Arrange the tokens into a correct sentence. Pay attention to the position of the genitive phrase or name. (11)
B1 · German · Grammar