Genitive Prepositions: während, wegen, trotz, innerhalb, außerhalb
Learn five common German genitive prepositions and distinguish time, cause, concession, and spatial or temporal boundaries. Practise the correct genitive articles and noun endings.
Explanation
Five prepositions with the genitive
In standard German, **während, wegen, trotz, innerhalb**, and **außerhalb** take the **genitive**.
| Preposition | Meaning | Question | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| **während** | during; simultaneous action | when? | Während **des Kurses** bleibt das Handy aus. |
| **wegen** | because of; cause | why? | Wegen **des Schnees** fährt der Bus später. |
| **trotz** | despite; unexpected contrast | despite what? | Trotz **der Kälte** gehen wir joggen. |
| **innerhalb** | inside a boundary or within a deadline | where? by when? | Innerhalb **einer Woche** kommt die Antwort. |
| **außerhalb** | outside a boundary or time period | where? when not? | Außerhalb **der Öffnungszeiten** ist die Tür geschlossen. |
Genitive forms
Masculine and neuter use **des**; feminine and plural use **der**. Masculine and neuter singular nouns usually add **-s** or **-es**: **des Plans, des Tages, des Hauses**. Feminine and plural nouns normally have no extra ending.
Choose the preposition by meaning: **während** for simultaneity, **wegen** for a cause, **trotz** for a circumstance that does not prevent the result, **innerhalb** for being inside a limit, and **außerhalb** for being beyond it. Colloquial German may use the dative after some of these prepositions, but this lesson practises the standard genitive.
With indefinite noun phrases, use **eines** for masculine/neuter and **einer** for feminine: **innerhalb eines Monats**, **innerhalb einer Woche**.
Exercises
- Sort each noun phrase by meaning: time, cause, concession, inside a boundary, or outside a boundary. (3)
- Choose the suitable preposition from the word bank. The noun phrase is already in the genitive. (4)
- Write a complete sentence. Choose the suitable preposition and put the noun phrase in the genitive. (11)
B1 · German · Grammar