German flag

Prepositions that take the genitive case

In English, prepositions are simple: you just put a noun after them without changing it. In German, every preposition dictates the grammatical case of the noun that follows it. While many common prepositions take the accusative or dative case, a special group requires the genitive case.

These include everyday words like während, wegen, and trotz. English speakers often stumble here because the genitive case requires changing the article before the noun, and for masculine and neuter nouns, it also means adding an extra ending to the noun itself.

Word list
anstattA2 instead of anstatt des Kaffees anstelleA2 instead of anstelle des Kaffees entlangA2 along entlang des Flusses stattA2 instead of statt des Kaffees währendA2 during während des Sommers dankB1 because of dank des Engagements jenseitsB1 beyond jenseits des Waldes trotzB1 despite trotz des Regens wegenB1 because of wegen des Wetters aufgrundB2 because of aufgrund des Wetters
How the genitive pattern works

When you use a genitive preposition, feminine and plural nouns are relatively straightforward: the definite article usually becomes der. However, masculine and neuter nouns require two changes. The article becomes des, and the noun takes an -s or -es ending.

Während des Films schlief er ein.
(He fell asleep during the film.)
Während der Pause haben wir geredet.
(During the break we talked.)

This same rule applies whether you are talking about time, as with während, or about obstacles and persistence, as with trotz.

Wir gehen trotz des Regens spazieren.
(We are going for a walk despite the rain.)
Das Spiel findet trotz des schlechten Wetters statt.
(The game is taking place despite the bad weather.)
Causes, locations, and replacements

Several prepositions express cause or reasons, like wegen. Other classic genitive prepositions describe location, like jenseits, innerhalb, and außerhalb. Words expressing replacement, such as statt, anstatt, and anstelle, also follow this pattern.

Wegen des Wetters bleiben wir zu Hause.
(Because of the weather we are staying at home.)
Der Flughafen ist wegen der Stürme geschlossen.
(The airport is closed because of the storms.)
Das kleine Dorf liegt jenseits des Waldes.
(The small village lies beyond the forest.)
Ich trinke Tee statt des Kaffees.
(I drink tea instead of coffee.)
Sie nahm das Auto anstatt des Zuges.
(She took the car instead of the train.)
Er kommt anstelle seines Bruders.
(He is coming instead of his brother.)
Spoken German and special positions

The genitive is the standard rule for formal and written German. However, in casual, spoken German, it is very common to hear people use the dative case after wegen and trotz. You might hear wegen dem Wetter in conversation, but you should aim to use wegen des Wetters in your writing.

Additionally, entlang behaves differently depending on where it sits in the sentence. When placed directly before the noun, it requires the genitive case. But if placed after the noun, it usually takes the accusative case.

Wir spazieren entlang des Flusses.
(We are walking along the river.)

Compare that to den Fluss entlang, and you can see why paying attention to word order is important.

Summary

Remember that prepositions like während, wegen, trotz, and statt require the genitive case in standard German. Always check the gender of the noun you are using: if it is masculine or neuter, you must add an -s or -es ending to the noun.