German Genitive Prepositions: Während, Trotz, Wegen - Complete List

Genitive prepositions always take genitive case — and they're the formal, written end of German. Once you know the genitive case itself, this list completes the preposition trio alongside accusative and dative prepositions.

Note: in spoken German, people often use a dative alternative instead of genitive after these — it's less formal, but widely understood.

Complete List of Genitive Prepositions

Detailed Examples for Each Preposition

Während (during)

• Während des Unterrichts kann man nicht sprechen. (During class one cannot speak.)
• Während der Ferien fahren wir nach Italien. (During vacation we travel to Italy.)
• Während des Films schlief er ein. (During the film he fell asleep.)

Trotz (despite)

• Trotz des Regens spielen wir Fußball. (Despite the rain we play soccer.)
• Trotz der Schwierigkeiten schafft sie es. (Despite the difficulties she manages it.)
• Trotz meines Alters bin ich sehr aktiv. (Despite my age I am very active.)

Wegen (because of)

• Wegen der Krankheit bin ich nicht zur Schule gegangen. (Because of illness I didn't go to school.)
• Wegen des Verkehrs bin ich zu spät angekommen. (Because of traffic I arrived too late.)
• Wegen der hohen Preise kaufe ich das nicht. (Because of high prices I don't buy that.)

Statt (instead of)

• Statt des Autos nehmen wir den Bus. (Instead of the car we take the bus.)
• Statt des Kaffees trinke ich Tee. (Instead of coffee I drink tea.)
• Statt seiner komme ich selbst. (Instead of him I come myself.)

Außerhalb (outside)

• Außerhalb der Stadt gibt es Wälder. (Outside the city there are forests.)
• Außerhalb meiner Arbeitszeit bin ich nicht erreichbar. (Outside my work hours I'm not reachable.)

Innerhalb (within)

• Innerhalb der Woche werden wir umziehen. (Within the week we will move.)
• Innerhalb eines Jahres lernst du Deutsch. (Within one year you learn German.)

Oberhalb (above)

• Oberhalb des Flusses liegt das Dorf. (Above the river lies the village.)
• Oberhalb der Baumgrenze gibt es keine Bäume. (Above the tree line there are no trees.)

Unterhalb (below)

• Unterhalb des Berges befindet sich ein See. (Below the mountain there is a lake.)
• Unterhalb des Wasserspiegels gibt es Fische. (Below the water surface there are fish.)

Formal vs. Informal: Genitive vs. Dative

In spoken German, people often use dative instead of genitive — less formal, but understood everywhere:

Note: for feminine nouns, genitive and dative use the same article ("der"), so "wegen der Krankheit" is correct either way — there's no visible informal alternative to swap in.

Which to use?

• Formal writing: use genitive
• Everyday speech: dative is fine
• Always correct: genitive

Practice: Genitive Prepositions

Fill in the correct genitive form:

1. Während _____ Ferien fahren wir weg. (During vacation — plural) — Answer: der
2. Trotz _____ Regens spielen wir. (Despite the rain — masculine) — Answer: des
3. Wegen _____ Krankheit bin ich krank. (Because of illness — feminine) — Answer: der
4. Außerhalb _____ Stadt gibt es Wälder. (Outside the city — feminine) — Answer: der
5. Innerhalb _____ Jahres werden wir umziehen. (Within the year — neuter) — Answer: des
6. Oberhalb _____ Berge liegt ein Dorf. (Above the mountain — masculine) — Answer: des
7. Statt _____ Auto nehmen wir den Bus. (Instead of the car — neuter) — Answer: des
8. Unterhalb _____ Wasser gibt es Fische. (Below the water — neuter) — Answer: des

Genitive Noun Endings

Remember: in genitive, masculine and neuter nouns add -s or -es:

• der Mann → des Mannes
• das Jahr → des Jahres
• der Krieg → des Krieges
• das Wasser → des Wassers

See the full breakdown in our genitive case guide.

Common Mistakes with Genitive Prepositions

Mistake 1: Using Dative Instead of Genitive in Formal Writing

Informal / spoken: Trotz dem Regen…
Formal / written: Trotz des Regens…

Mistake 2: Forgetting Noun Endings

Wrong: Trotz des Regen.
Right: Trotz des Regens. (masculine nouns add -s/-es)

Mistake 3: Not Recognizing the Plural Article

Wrong: Während die Ferien.
Right: Während der Ferien. (plural genitive is always "der")

Quick Reference: Genitive Prepositions

Remember: all of these always take genitive — accusative and dative are never correct here (dative only shows up as the informal spoken substitute).

• während = during
• trotz = despite
• wegen = because of
• statt = instead of
• außerhalb = outside
• innerhalb = within
• oberhalb = above
• unterhalb = below

Real-World Usage

• während der Schule — during school
• trotz der Schwierigkeiten — despite the difficulties
• wegen der Krankheit — because of illness
• statt des Autos — instead of the car
• außerhalb der Stadt — outside the city

Summary

Genitive prepositions always take genitive case (des, der, des, der for plural). They're less common than accusative or dative prepositions — the most important ones to know first are während, trotz, wegen, statt.

Learning tip: these belong to formal/written German. Know them for reading and formal writing; in speech, the dative variants are understood and common.

FAQ

Which genitive prepositions are most important?
Während, trotz, wegen, statt. These four cover most genitive-preposition usage you'll actually encounter.

Is it wrong to use dative with genitive prepositions?
In speech, it's common and completely understood. In formal writing, genitive is the correct form.

Why do genitive prepositions exist if dative works too?
German has formal and informal registers, the same as English does — genitive is the formal/written standard, dative the casual spoken substitute.

Do all genitive prepositions work the same way?
Yes — every preposition on this list takes genitive only, with no exceptions.

Related Grammar

This completes the preposition trio — see accusative prepositions and dative prepositions for the other two, or the case itself in genitive case: possession. Compare all four cases at once in our case comparison guide.

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