This deep dive covers Der Genitiv — The Genitive Case within Higher: the genitive case and the man-passive for GCSE German. Revise Higher: the genitive case and the man-passive in Core Grammar Toolkit for GCSE German with 10 exam-style questions and 12 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 2 of 4 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📋 Der Genitiv — The Genitive Case
The genitive is the "of" case — it shows that one thing belongs to another. The article changes, and masculine and neuter nouns also add an ending.
| Gender | Article | Noun change | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | des | +s / -es | das Auto des Mannes |
| feminine | der | — | die Farbe der Blume |
| neuter | des | +s / -es | das Dach des Hauses |
| plural | der | — | die Namen der Kinder |
Masculine and neuter nouns add -s or -es in the genitive (longer, one-syllable nouns usually take -es: des Hauses, des Mannes).
⭐ Genitive prepositions
wegen (because of), trotz (despite) and während (during) are followed by the genitive:
- während der Woche — during the week (die Woche)
- trotz des Wetters — despite the weather (das Wetter)
- wegen des Regens — because of the rain (der Regen)
⭐ The man-passive — the GCSE way to say "is done"
Instead of a passive, German uses man ("one / you / people") with an active verb:
- Man spricht hier Deutsch. = German is spoken here / people speak German here.
- Man kann das online kaufen. = That can be bought online.
- In Deutschland isst man viel Brot. = In Germany people eat a lot of bread.
man always takes the er/sie/es verb form (man spricht, man isst, man kann). Reach for this structure whenever English would use "is / are + done".
Das Haus meines Bruders ist sehr groß.
My brother's house is very big.
- meines Bruders — genitive (masculine): the possessive takes -es and the noun Bruder adds -s (der Bruder, die Brüder).
- This says "the house of my brother" → "my brother's house".
Während der Ferien fährt man oft ins Ausland.
During the holidays people often travel abroad.
- Während der Ferien — genitive after während; Ferien is plural (die Ferien), so the article is der.
- man fährt — the man-passive structure ("people travel / one travels"); man takes the er/sie/es form. (das Ausland, no plural)
Practice questions for Higher: the genitive case and the man-passive
Which sentence correctly uses 'man' in a subordinate clause with 'weil'?
What verb form does 'man' (one/people) always use in German?