In German

des Mannes

Meaning: “des Mannes” (of the man) — Genitiv, masculine: shows possession

Example sentences

  • DasAutodesMannesistneu.

    The man's car is new.

  • DerNamedesMannesistPeter.

    The man's name is Peter.

  • DieTaschedesMannesistschwarz.

    The man's bag is black.

Grammar note

Genitiv shows possession — “of the man” or “the man's”. Masculine and neuter nouns take “des” and usually add “-s” or “-es” to the noun itself; feminine and plural take “der” with no change to the noun.

Common mistake

Don't forget the “-s” on the noun. “Des Mann” is incomplete — it must be “des Mannes”, with the noun itself taking an ending in the masculine and neuter Genitiv.

Quick check

In “Das Auto des Mannes ist neu”, which case is “des Mannes” in?

More words on this topic

der Mann“der Mann” (the man) — Nominativ, masculine: the subject of the sentenceden Mann“den Mann” (the man) — Akkusativ, masculine: the direct objectdem Mann“dem Mann” (the man) — Dativ, masculine: the indirect objectder Frau“der Frau” (of the woman) — Genitiv, feminine: shows possession

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Genitiv common in spoken German?

Less than the other three cases — everyday speech often replaces it with “von” plus the Dativ (“das Auto von dem Mann”), but the Genitiv is still correct and common in writing.

Do all masculine nouns add “-es” in the Genitiv?

Many short nouns add “-es” (like “Mannes”), while longer ones often just add “-s” (like “Vaters”).