TOPIC · Verbs (Verben)

Verben mit Akkusativ und Genitiv

B1B2

After this lesson you can recognise verbs that take Akkusativ and Genitiv objects and form correct sentences with them.

In this lesson you will learn verbs that take an object in the Akkusativ and an additional complement in the Genitiv. These structures occur mainly in formal, legal or elevated language and are typical for level B1/B2.

Overview: Akkusativ and Genitiv objects

Many verbs take only an object in the Akkusativ, e.g. „Ich lese den Text.“. Some verbs also have a Genitiv object, e.g. „Ich beschuldige ihn des Betrugs.“:

Akkusativobjekt: „Wen oder was?“ → ihn
Genitivobjekt: „Wessen?“ → des Betrugs

Note: Here the Genitiv is not used after a preposition, but directly required by the verb.

Key verbs with Akkusativ and Genitiv

Verb	Example sentence	Meaning
anklagen	Man klagte ihn des Diebstahls an.	to charge / indict someone with theft
beschuldigen	Sie beschuldigte ihn des Betrugs.	to accuse someone of fraud
bezichtigen	Er bezichtigte sie des Verbrechens.	to accuse someone of a crime
entbinden	Der Arzt entband den Patienten seiner Pflicht.	to release someone from a duty
entheben	Der Vorstand enthob den Manager seines Amtes.	to remove someone from office
überführen	Die Polizei überführte den Verdächtigen des Raubes.	to prove someone guilty of robbery
verdächtigen	Man verdächtigte ihn des Mordes.	to suspect someone of murder
berauben	Sie berauben die Menschen ihrer Freiheit.	to deprive people of their freedom

Recognising the cases in the sentence

Pay attention to articles and pronouns:

Akkusativ singular masculine: den Patienten, den Manager, ihn
Genitiv singular masculine/neuter: des Diebstahls, des Betrugs, des Raubes, des Mordes
Genitiv singular masculine with possessive pronoun: seiner Pflicht, seines Amtes

This helps you see which word is the Akkusativ object and which is the Genitiv object.

Typical meaning groups

Accusation / guilt: anklagen, beschuldigen, bezichtigen, überführen, verdächtigen
All of them express that someone is accused, suspected or proven guilty of a crime or wrongdoing.
Release / removal: entbinden, entheben
Someone is freed from a duty or removed from a position.
Deprivation: berauben
Someone is deprived of something important (freedom, rights, money, etc.).

Style and common alternatives

Many of these verbs sound formal or legal:

Everyday speech: jemanden wegen Diebstahl anzeigen instead of jemanden des Diebstahls anklagen
Everyday speech: jemanden aus dem Amt entlassen instead of jemanden seines Amtes entheben

You should still know the Genitiv constructions to understand newspaper articles, official documents or literary texts.

Practice ideas

Underline the Akkusativobjekt and circle the Genitivobjekt in sentences with these verbs.
Rewrite simple everyday sentences first with a preposition, then with a Genitiv:
- Sie nahmen ihm die Freiheit. / Sie beraubten ihn seiner Freiheit.
Create your own examples with beschuldigen, entheben and verdächtigen.