German Genitive Prepositions
die Genitiv-Präpositionen
Genitive prepositions always require the following noun phrase to be in the genitive case.
Genitive prepositions (die Genitiv-Präpositionen) in German are prepositions that strictly govern the Genitive case. The most common genitive prepositions are 'wegen' (because of), 'während' (during), 'trotz' (despite), and 'anstatt' or 'statt' (instead of). Other formal prepositions like 'innerhalb' (inside/within) and 'außerhalb' (outside of) also belong to this group.
When using these prepositions, the following articles, adjectives, and nouns must be declined in the genitive. For masculine and neuter singular nouns, this means adding '-s' or '-es' to the noun (e.g., 'wegen des Wetters'). In modern spoken German, there is a strong tendency to replace the Genitive case with the Dative case after these prepositions (e.g., 'wegen dem Wetter'). However, this is considered informal and should be avoided in formal writing and language exams.
Mastering genitive prepositions is crucial for achieving high proficiency in German. They are essential for formal writing, academic communication, and expressing precise relations of time, cause, and concession.
Examples
Während des Urlaubs hatten wir fantastisches Wetter.
During the vacation we had fantastic weather.
Trotz des starken Regens sind wir im Wald spazieren gegangen.
Despite the heavy rain, we went for a walk in the forest.
Wegen der Verspätung des Zuges haben wir das Treffen verpasst.
Because of the train's delay, we missed the meeting.
Related terms
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