partitivegenitive

The partitive genitive is a grammatical construction found in some languages in which the genitive case marks a part of a whole or a non-specific portion rather than ownership. It is often described as a partitive use of the genitive, where the head noun denotes a quantity, a portion, or a subset of a larger referent.

In languages that employ a partitive genitive, the relation is typically expressed by placing the head noun in the genitive case after a quantifier, a measure word, or a noun indicating a portion. The result expresses “a part of” or “some of” the whole. It contrasts with a plain possessive relation and is common in more formal or literary styles in some Germanic languages.

Common German examples illustrate the pattern: Ich esse einen Teil des Kuchens (I am eating a part of the cake). Der Großteil des Geldes wurde gespendet (The majority of the money was donated). Sie trank einen Schluck des Biers (She drank a sip of the beer). These phrases use the genitive form des Kuchens, des Geldes, des Biers to denote a portion rather than possession.

The use and productivity of partitive genitive vary by language and historical period. In modern standard German, it remains grammatical and is often found in formal, legal, or literary contexts, but many everyday expressions of portion use other structures (for example, ohne den Kuchen or einfach Kuchen). Similar ideas exist in other languages through different means, such as prepositional phrases or the use of partitive constructions with different cases.

See also: genitive, partitive case, Teilgenitiv.