German Prepositions with the Genitive – Simple and Easy / Präpositionenmit Genitiv

In this lesson, you will learn all about German prepositions with the genitive. What are these prepositions and when are they used together.

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CONTENTS

Prepositions with the genitive
(AN)STATT (instead of)
TROTZ (despite)
WEGEN (because of)
wegen mir – meinetwegen
WÄHREND (corresponds to time)
Other prepositions governing the genitive
Rules that make it easier to learn

Prepositions with the genitive

Prepositions followed by a noun phrase in the genitive are largely restricted to formal written language. Four frequent prepositions govern the genitive. In everyday speech, these prepositions are often used with the DATIVE.

(AN)STATT  (instead)

(An)statt corresponds to English instead of

For example:
Statt eines Briefes schickte er ihr eine E-Mail. – Instead of a letter he sent her an e-mail.

There is no difference between STATT and ANSTATT, but in spoken language the shorter form is preferred.

For example:
Wir treffen uns nächste Woche am Mittwoch statt am Donnerstag. – We will meet next week on Wednesday instead of Thursday.

An expression similar to the preposition naw af is an … Stelle. In between comes the possessive pronoun.
For example:
an deiner Stelle – in your place  / If I were you,…
an Ihrer Selle – in your place 

With an … Stelle we give advice or a warning and use the subjunctive.

An deiner Stelle würde ich mehr lernen. – If I were you, I would learn more.
An seiner Stelle hätte ich das nicht getan. – I wouldn’t have done that if I were him.

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Grammar Contents

TROTZ

Trotz corresponds to English despite, in spite of

TROTZ is also associated with the dative. But the genitive is still more in use.

Trotz des kalten Wetters machten wir einen Ausflug. – Despite the cold weather, we went on an excursion.
Trotz dem kalten Wetter machten wir einen Ausflug. – Despite the cold weather, we went on an excursion.

In Austria, Switzerland and the south of Germany, the preposition trotz is very often used with the dative.

WEGEN

Wegen corresponds to English because of
Sie konnten wegen des Schees nicht kommen. They couldn’t come because of the snow.

Wegen is a preposition with a genitive case:
wegen des schlechten Wetters – because of the bad weather
wegen der hohen Preise – because of the high prices
wegen des Bruders – because of the brother
wegen der Leute – because of the people

In the spoken language, wegen can also be heard with the dative:

wegen dem Chef – because of the boss
wegen ihm (seinetwegen) – because of him (for his sake)

wegen mir  – meinetwegen

wegen mir – in spoken language: meinetwegen = because of me
wegen dir – deinetwegen = because of you
wegen ihm – seinetwegen = because of him
wegen ihr – ihretwegen = because of her
wegen uns – unseretwegen = because of us
wegen euch – euretwegen = because of you
wegen ihnen – ihretwegen = because of them
wegen Ihnen – Ihretwegen = because of you

Bist du meinetwegen gekommen? – Did you come for me?
Meinetwegen brauchst du nicht zu warten. – You don’t have to wait because of me.
Wir sind alle nur deinetwegen gekommen. – We all came because of you.

In the colloquial language, the expression Meinetwegen! also means: Von mir aus!, Ich habe nichts dagegen! In English, it would sound like this: As far as I’m concerned. It can sound positive or negative, it depends on the tone.

Wegen can also follow a noun, but in that case, it has a more elevated use.

For example:
des Bruders wegen – because of the brother
des schlechten Wetters wegen – because of the bad weather
der Leute wegen – because of the people

WÄHREND

Während refers to time =It corresponds to English during

For example:
Während des Sommers blieben wir in Spain. – We stayed in Spain during the summer.

Während is an adverb je predlog sa genitivom, ali u govornom jeziku se upotrebljava i sa dativom:

während des Krieges – during the war
während des Sommers – during the summer
während des Essens – during the meal
but too :
während dem Essens – during the meal

If the genitive is not recognized in the plural, then the dative is used:
während fünf Jahren – during five years
während elf Monaten  – during eleven months

Other prepositions governing the genitive

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Grammar Contents

Tips that help us learn more easily

Aufgrund, während and wegen in the SPOKEN LANGUAGE are often used with the DATIVE.

aufgrund des Besuchs/ dem Besuch
während des Urlaubs/ dem Urlaub
wegen des Geldes/ dem Geld

There is no difference between statt and anstatt.

For example:
(an)statt Reis Kartoffel kaufen –buy potatoes instead of rice

Anhand i mithilfe correspond to the Englisch: with the help of

For example:
anhand/ mithilfe zahlreicher Beispiele – with the help of numerous examples
anhand/ mithilfe des Fotos – with the help of the photo

Außerhalb/innerhalb, oberhalb/ unterhalb, entlag have a spatial meaning:

For example:
außerhalb/innerhalb des Dorfes – outside/inside the village
oberhalb/ unterhalb des Dorfes – above/ below the village
entlang des Weges – along the way

Bezüglich/ hinsichtlich and laut  are used when to repeat someone else’s satements:

For example:
bezüglich / hinsichtlich Ihres Antrags – regarding / concerning your application
laut Berichten der Polizei – according to police reports
laut amtlicher Mitteilung – according to official notification

Laut stands more often with the dative than with the genitive.

For example:
Laut unseres Schreibens  (but more often: laut unserem Schreiben) – According to our letter 
Laut unseres Schreibens  (but more often: laut unserem Schreiben) – According to our letter 

Außerhalb/innerhalb, wärend have a temporal meaning.

For example:
außerhalb der Öffnungszeiten (Pl) – outside opening hours
innerhalb der nächsten Stunde – within the next hour
während der Ferien (Pl) – during the vacations

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