Possession with the genitive
The genitive can express possession or belonging. Masculine/neuter definite articles become des and most corresponding nouns add -(e)s. Feminine/plural use der; feminine nouns do not add a genitive ending.
Understand the idea
Genitive can connect a noun with an owner, source or other belonging relationship. It is common in written and formal German, although possession can also be expressed in other ways. Both the article and some noun endings can signal genitive.
Build it step by step
Use des for masculine/neuter singular and der for feminine singular/plural. Masculine and neuter nouns often add -(e)s. Weak masculine nouns follow their own -n/-en pattern instead. Possessives also have genitive endings. Always distinguish the possessed thing from the owner phrase that follows it.
See it in a sentence
Das ist die Tasche der Lehrerin.
Die Farbe des Autos gefällt mir.
Quick reference
On a small screen, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | die | das | die |
| Accusative | den | die | das | die |
| Dative | dem | der | dem | den |
| Genitive | des | der | des | der |
| Case | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ein | eine | ein |
| Accusative | einen | eine | ein |
| Dative | einem | einer | einem |
| Genitive | eines | einer | eines |
A useful memory aid
Build a pair such as the child's name, then mark the owner. That is the phrase whose case changes in this construction.
A common trap
Do not add -s to every owner noun. Feminine nouns normally do not take that genitive suffix, and weak masculine nouns need their own pattern.