A1 · grammar
Saying Whose: Annas Buch and das Auto von ...
Show possession with names, and with von for everything else.
Names: add -s
| German | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Annas Buch | Anna's book |
| Toms Auto | Tom's car |
| Muranas Katze | Murana's cat |
No apostrophe. The name comes before the noun and the noun has no article.
Names ending in s, ß, x, z take only an apostrophe in writing: Max' Auto, but people usually say das Auto von Max.
Everything else: von + dative
| German | Meaning |
|---|---|
| das Auto von meinem Vater | my father's car |
| die Tasche von der Lehrerin | the teacher's bag |
| die Kinder von Frau Müller | Mrs Müller's children |
Questions
Wessen Buch ist das? (formal) or Wem gehört das Buch? – Es gehört Anna. / Das ist Annas Buch.
The genitive (des Mannes, der Frau) is taught at B2; von + dative is perfectly good for everyday German.
Test Your Knowledge
1. Das ist ___ Auto. (Anna's)
2. Das Haus ___ meinem Onkel ist groß.
3. Which is correct?