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GermanNouns

Genitive Noun Declension in German

Genitivdeklination der Nomen

The grammatical rule in German where masculine and neuter nouns take an -s or -es ending in the genitive case.

In German, the genitive case indicates possession or relation. While feminine and plural nouns do not change their spelling (only their articles change to "der"), masculine and neuter nouns require an additional ending: "-s" or "-es". Generally, single-syllable nouns or nouns ending in s, ß, x, z take "-es" (e.g., des Tages, des Hauses), while multi-syllable nouns take "-s" (e.g., des Königs). Feminine nouns do not take any noun endings in the genitive.

Examples

Das Auto des Vaters ist blau.

The father's car is blue.

Das Dach des Hauses ist rot.

The roof of the house is red.

Die Farbe des Himmels ändert sich.

The color of the sky is changing.

Related terms

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