Prepositions with Genitiv in German: Table and lots of examples

Genitiv is the rarest case in German, but you need it to express ownership or belonging. It answers the question “wessen?” (whose).

Prepositions combining with the complement (Genitiv) are: anhand, anlässlich, infolge, staat, anstaat, aufgrund, trotz, während, wegen. This means that after using these prepositions, you should use the noun or pronoun in the complement (although in colloquial speech it happens that they are also used with the predicate).

Preposition “anhand” (on the basis of)

German	English
anhand	on the basis of
anhand vieler Beispiele	on the basis of many examples
Anhand vieler Beispiele erkennt man die Wahrheit.	On the basis of many examples you recognize the truth.
anhand der Bilder	Using the pictures
Anhand der Bilder erklären wir die Funktionen.	On the basis of the pictures we explain the functions.

Preposition “anlässlich” (on the occasion of)

German	English
anlässlich	on the occasion of
anlässlich der goldenen Hochzeit	on the occasion of the golden wedding anniversary
Anlässlich der goldenen Hochzeit wurden wir eingeladen.	We were invited on the occasion of the golden wedding anniversary.
anlässlich dieses Festes	on the occasion of this party
Anlässlich dieses Festes veranstalten wir eine Party.	We are organizing a party on the occasion of this celebration.

Preposition “aufgrund” (due to)

German	English
aufgrund	due to
aufgrund des starken Schneefalls	due to the heavy snowfall
Aufgrund des starken Schneefalls fällt der Unterricht aus.	Classes are canceled due to the heavy snowfall.
aufgrund des Beschlusses	due to the decision
Aufgrund des Beschlusses erhalte ich mehr Geld.	I receive more money due to the decision.

Preposition “infolge” (as a result of)

German	English
infolge	as a result of
infolge des Unfalls	as a result of the accident
Infolge des Unfalls bin ich krank.	I am ill as a result of the accident.
infolge der Krise	as a result of the crisis
Infolge der Krise haben wir kein Geld.	We have no money as a result of the crisis.

Preposition “statt” (instead of)

German	English
statt	instead of
statt meines Vaters	instead of my father
Statt meines Vaters kommt meine Mutter.	My mother is coming instead of my father.
statt des Kaffees	instead of coffee
Statt des Kaffees trinke ich lieber Tee.	Instead of coffee, I prefer tea.

Preposition “trotz” (despite)

German	English
trotz	despite
trotz des Regens	despite the rain
Trotz des Regens gehen wir spazieren.	Despite the rain, we go for a walk.
trotz der Krise	Despite the crisis
Trotz der Krise geht es uns gut.	We’re doing well despite the crisis.
trotz des Regens	Despite the rain
Trotz des Regens arbeitet er draußen.	Despite the rain, he works outside.

Preposition “während” (during)

German	English
während	during
während des Films	during the movie
Wir haben viel gelacht während des Films.	We laughed a lot during the movie.
während meines Urlaubs	during my vacation
Während meines Urlaubs habe ich viel gelesen.	I read a lot during my vacation.

Preposition “wegen” (because of)

German	English
wegen	because of
wegen des Verkehrs	because of the traffic
Ich konnte wegen des Verkehrs nicht kommen.	I couldn’t come because of the traffic.
wegen der Krankheit	because of illness
Sie konnte wegen der Krankheit nicht kommen.	She couldn’t come because of illness.
wegen schlechten Wetters	because of bad weather
Wegen schlechten Wetters bleibe ich zu Hause.	I’m staying at home because of bad weather.

If you want to learn more about prepositions in German, or cases (Dativ, Akkusativ, Genitiv), please visit our other articles in the “Learning German” section.

The best way to learn the use of prepositions with the complement (Genitiv) is to memorize phrases and sentences. After a few repetitions, your brain will begin to “feel” which case is correct.