Possession with Genitiv in German

In German, Genitiv is one of the ways to express possession of a noun referring to a person, object, or thing. It is considered one of the most important topics, serving as a foundation in learning German. In today's article, we will explore this form of possession together.

Let's get started!!!

1. Genitiv answers the question ''Wessen?'' (whose)

Wessen Haus ist das? (Whose house is this?)

→ Das ist das Haus meiner Eltern. (This is my parents' house.)

2. How to use articles in Genitiv

• General structure: Possessed noun + article/possessive pronoun + Possessing noun

a. Ben sucht das Buch seines Bruders.

(Ben is looking for his brother's book.)

→ das Buch: possessed noun

→ Bruder: possessing noun referring to a person

b. Wir brauchen ein Zimmer deines Hauses.

(We need a room of your house.)

→ ein Zimmer: possessed noun

→ dein Haus: possessing noun referring to a thing

3. The possessing noun and the article/possessive pronoun undergo changes:

• Possessing nouns of the gender der and das: Possessed noun + des/eines/keines/meines/.... + Possessing noun with the ending -s or -es added

Man kann die Atmosphäre des Raums durch Licht ändern.

(One can change the atmosphere of the room through light.)

→ der Raum → des Raums

!!!Note: The majority of nouns add the ending -s. Nouns with only one syllable add -es.

• Possessing nouns of the gender die: Possessed noun + der/einer/keiner/meiner/.... + Possessing noun

Wir sollen die Tür unserer Wohnung reparieren.

(We need to repair the door of our apartment.)

→ unsere Wohnung (die) → unserer Wohnung- The possessed noun is a plural noun (Plural): Possessed noun + der/ keiner/meiner/.... + Possessor noun

Linda liest die Nachrichten der Gäste.

(Linda reads the news from the guests.)

→ die Gäste (Pl.) → der Gäste