Reference · module 19
Whose, and because of what
Everything this module explains, on one page.
des and der
Say that one thing belongs to another without using von.
- The fourth case answers whose. das Auto des Mannes, die Farbe der Tür. Masculine and neuter take des, feminine and plural take der.
- Masculine and neuter nouns also add -s or -es themselves: des Mannes, des Kindes, des Autos. Short words prefer -es, longer ones -s.
- Unlike English, the owner comes second: the man's car is das Auto des Mannes, in that order. There is no German apostrophe doing this job.
The mistake you are about to make
der Mann's Auto
das Auto des Mannes
English puts the owner first with an apostrophe — the man's car. German has neither: the owner comes second and takes des Mannes.
wegen, während, trotz
Give a cause, a period and a concession in one word each.
- wegen means because of, während during, trotz despite, and all three take the genitive: wegen des Wetters, während der Woche, trotz des Regens.
- In speech they take the dative instead — wegen dem Wetter — and every German does it. Written German still expects the genitive.
- während is also a conjunction meaning while, and then it sends the verb to the end: während ich arbeite. Same word, two jobs.
The mistake you are about to make
wegen das Wetter
wegen des Wetters
English marks nothing after a preposition, so whichever article you met first comes out. These three take the genitive: wegen des Wetters, während der Woche, trotz des Regens.
Names and dates
Use the genitive where it is still completely normal in speech.
- With a name the genitive is alive and well, and it goes in front: Annas Auto, Peters Haus. No apostrophe — that is an English import Germans are told off for.
- Dates use the genitive of the month: der dritte Mai, am dritten Mai. And a year needs no preposition at all: 2026, not in 2026.
The mistake you are about to make
in 2026
2026
"In 2026" is correct English and wrong German. The year stands bare — ich komme 2026 — or takes the full im Jahr 2026. In 2026 reads as a translation.
Being precise in writing
Recognise the register that the genitive belongs to.
- News, contracts and instructions are written in a compact register: der Beginn der Veranstaltung, die Rechte des Kunden. The genitive is what makes them short.
- Saying the same thing out loud, you would use von and a longer sentence. Neither is better — they belong to different places, and knowing which is which is the skill.
The mistake you are about to make
der Beginn von der Veranstaltung
der Beginn der Veranstaltung
"Of the" maps straight onto von der, which is grammatical and sounds spoken. Written German compresses it into the genitive: der Beginn der Veranstaltung.