B1 · GRAMMAR
Genitive: des, der and wegen, trotz
The Genitive case shows possession ('whose?'): equivalent to the English 's or 'of'. Example: babamın arabası → das Auto meines Vaters. In spoken German, it is often replaced by 'von + Dativ', but you will definitely encounter it in writing, official letters, and after certain prepositions (wegen, trotz, während).
In this lesson
1. Whose?
The possessor comes after the thing possessed.
das Auto meines Vaters
my father's car
2. Articles
der/das → des + noun takes -(e)s; die/plural → der.
die Farbe des Hauses
the color of the house
3. Proper Nouns
Proper names take -s: Annas Auto, Deutschlands Hauptstadt.
4. Genitive Prepositions
wegen, trotz, während, statt, innerhalb, außerhalb.
Wegen des Regens bleiben wir zu Hause.
Because of the rain, we are staying at home.
5. In Speech
Often replaced by von + Dativ: das Auto von meinem Vater.
💡 Word order is the reverse of Turkish: in Turkish the possessor comes first (babamın arabası), while in German it comes second (das Auto meines Vaters). Say what is possessed first.