genitive
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genitive
A grammatical case (the 2nd case) in the German language that mainly expresses possession or origin. It is identified with the question 'Wessen?' (whose?).
Der Ausdruck „der Hund des Mannes“ enthält ein Substantiv im Genitiv.
The expression 'der Hund des Mannes' (the man's dog) contains a noun in the genitive.
A noun in the genitive that indicates possession usually stands directly after the noun it belongs to.
Die Farbe des Himmels ist heute besonders schön.
The color of the sky is especially beautiful today.
Some important prepositions always require the genitive. These include 'während' (during), 'trotz' (despite), 'wegen' (because of), and 'statt' (instead of).
Trotz des schlechten Wetters machten wir einen Spaziergang.
Despite the bad weather, we went for a walk.
The genitive is used especially in written language and in formal contexts. In everyday spoken language, it is often replaced by a construction with 'von' + dative.
Das ist das Auto von meinem Vater.
That is my father's car.
Especially with the preposition 'wegen' (because of), the dative is often used incorrectly in colloquial speech. Although you often hear 'wegen dem Stau', the correct standard-language form is 'wegen des Staus' (because of the traffic jam).
Wegen des starken Regens wurde das Spiel abgesagt.
Because of the heavy rain, the game was canceled.
from / of
'von' and 'der Genitiv' can both express possession or belonging. With 'von', for example, you say 'das Fahrrad von Lisa' (Lisa's bicycle). This sounds natural especially in everyday language. The genitive is a grammatical case and often expresses the same relationship more briefly or more formally: 'Lisas Fahrrad' (Lisa's bicycle) or 'das Fahrrad der Nachbarin' (the neighbor's bicycle). Learners confuse them because both can answer the question 'Wessen?' (whose?). In conversation, 'von' is often simple and normal; in written texts, the genitive often sounds more precise and elegant.
Im Ausdruck „das Auto des Chefs“ steht „des Chefs“ im Genitiv.
In the expression 'das Auto des Chefs' (the boss's car), 'des Chefs' is in the genitive.
Das ist der Schlüssel von meiner Schwester.
That is my sister's key.