How can you tell a genitive case in German?
The noun endings –s or –es are added (-s for polysyllabic nouns, –es for monosyllabic). Proper nouns have an added –s ending to indicate genitive case (example: Deutschlands Kanzlerin), but if the proper noun already ends in s, then you will see no change in spelling. Apostrophes are not used in German.
Does Germany have declensions?
Declensions are vital. The German language as such can’t exist without them. Since declensions tell us the gender & case of each noun, declensions change dependent on if a noun is masculine, feminine, neuter, or plural AND dependent on if the case is nominative, accusative, dative, or genitive.
How do you decline a noun in German?
In German, nouns will change their articles or endings depending on the case, number, and gender. In accusative, dative, and genitive, the articles of the nouns change and get the ending -en or -n in dative plural. Masculine and neutral nouns get the ending -es or -s in the genitive.
How many declensions does German have?
four cases
Modern High German distinguishes between four cases—nominative, accusative, genitive, and dative—and three grammatical genders—feminine, masculine, and neuter.
How do you remember German declensions?
A lot of students will remember the nominative case declension as: der, die, das, die. Nouns will therefore be attached to the articles they normally have, for example as you might find them in the dictionary when you look them up. The accusative declension string is very similar, with only one change.
How do you use genitive in German?
The genitive case is used to show possession. You use the genitive to show who something belongs to….The genitive is in bold.
- Das Handy des Mädchens.
- Das ist die Mütze des Mannes.
- Der Hund meines Freundes ist sehr lebendig.
- Die Jacke der Frau hat 70 Euro gekostet.
Is Wegen always genitive?
Wegen is used with Dative. And NO ONE would EVER say that with Genitive. That sounds like from a theater play. So either, we need a rule like this: “Wegen is used with Genitive, except when we use it with a personal pronoun, then it comes with Dative.”
What gender is house in German?
Masculine or Neuter Nouns Hause is the old declension in the dative singular for das Haus (house).
What are German declinations?
In German, you have to add an ending to an adjective if it comes before a noun. This is known as “declination”. The ending is determined by the gender, the kind of article used (der, ein, etc.) and the case (nominative, accusative, dative or genitive).