Genitivfall

Genitivfall is one of the four grammatical cases in German. It marks a possessive or closely related relationship between nouns and is used to indicate belonging, origin, or association. In addition to showing possession, the genitive can function in attributive constructions where one noun modifies another, for example: das Auto des Mannes (the man’s car).

Morphology and forms are central to the genitive. The definite article in the singular is des for masculine and neuter nouns, der for feminine nouns, and der for all plural nouns. The noun itself often takes a suffix such as -s or -es in the masculine or neuter singular (for example, des Mannes, des Kindes). In feminine singular, the noun does not typically receive a suffix. Examples include das Auto des Mannes, das Kleid des Kindes, die Tasche der Frau. In the plural, the genitive uses der as the article: die Bücher der Kinder, die Türen der Häuser, die Farbe der Himmels? (note the common form des Himmels for Himmel in genitive singular; plural examples are der Bücher or der Häuser, depending on the noun).

Usage centers on possession but extends to other relationships. Core function: to express ownership or association, as in der Besitz des Hauses. It also appears in genitive attributes, such as die Blätter des Baumes, and with certain prepositions that govern the genitive (trotz des Wetters, während des Films, wegen des Regens). A limited set of verbs governs a genitive object, for example: bedürfen (Ich bedarf deiner Hilfe) and gedenken (Ich gedenke des Verstorbenen). In contemporary speech, the genitive is often replaced by a prepositional phrase with von or by rephrasing (das Auto von dem Mann). In formal writing, the genitive remains common and is regarded as standard.