wegen, trotz, während, statt + genitive

In The genitive: des Mannes, der Frau, Annas Auto you met the genitive for possession: das Auto des Nachbarn. A small group of very common prepositions also takes the genitive. With them you can pack a whole reason, contrast or time into a short phrase instead of a full clause.

The genitive forms

Masculine and neuter nouns add -s or -es: des Wetters, des Tages, des Geldes. Short nouns of one syllable often take -es; longer ones take -s. Weak masculine nouns (Masculine weak nouns: der Student, den Studenten) take -n or -en instead: wegen des Kollegen. Adjectives after an article in the genitive always end in -en.

• Wegen des Regens bleiben wir heute zu Hause.Because of the rain we're staying at home today.
• Der Zug hatte wegen eines technischen Problems Verspätung.The train was delayed because of a technical problem.
• Trotz der Kälte ist Jonas joggen gegangen.Despite the cold, Jonas went jogging.
• Trotz des guten Wetters waren nur wenige Leute im Park.Despite the good weather, only a few people were in the park.
• Während des Films hat Lena die ganze Zeit geredet.Lena talked the whole time during the film.
• Statt eines Autos hat Herr Schmidt ein Lastenrad gekauft.Instead of a car, Mr Schmidt bought a cargo bike.
• Innerhalb einer Woche müssen Sie die Rechnung bezahlen.You have to pay the bill within a week.

Phrase or clause?

These prepositions are the short version of a clause. Compare them with the conjunctions you know from obwohl and trotzdem: although, and still and Time clauses: bevor, nachdem, während, seitdem, bis:

Während is both: a conjunction with a clause (während wir essen) and a preposition with a noun (während des Essens).

In everyday speech: the dative

In conversation many Germans use the dative after wegen, trotz and während. You will hear it everywhere, and it is not a mistake in speech, but in letters, emails at work, essays and exams use the genitive.

Wegen dem Stau bin ich zu spät gekommen. = I was late because of the traffic jam. (spoken)

Plural nouns without an article often show no case at all, and that is fine in writing too: wegen Bauarbeiten, statt Blumen. With an adjective or viele, keep the genitive: trotz vieler Probleme. For time, innerhalb often takes von: innerhalb von zwei Wochen.

With a personal pronoun, wegen forms one word: meinetwegen, deinetwegen, seinetwegen, ihretwegen, unseretwegen. In speech, wegen mir, wegen dir are common. Meinetwegen also means "fine by me".

Write the genitive, but don't be surprised by the dative in speech. Both wegen des Staus and wegen dem Stau are understood; only the first belongs in a job application.

Common mistakes

• wegen das Wetter, trotz den Regen: the nominative and accusative are never right here. Write wegen des Wetters, trotz des Regens.
• während des Urlaub: masculine and neuter nouns need their -s: während des Urlaubs.
• wegen des schlechte Wetters: adjectives in the genitive end in -en: des schlechten Wetters.
• Trotz es regnet: trotz takes a noun, not a clause. With a clause, use obwohl: Obwohl es regnet, …
• Wegen ich krank war: with a clause use weil: Weil ich krank war, …