Common prepositions that take the genitive

In brief

In standard German, prepositions such as wegen (because of), trotz (despite), während (during), and außerhalb (outside of) are followed by the genitive. They express a reason, a contrast, a time span, or a location without changing the word order of the rest of the sentence.

Form

Preposition + genitive noun phrase: wegen des Regens, trotz der Verspätung. Masculine and neuter singular nouns usually add -s or -es; feminine singular and plural use der as the definite article.

Usage

• Use wegen to give a reason and trotz to express an unexpected contrast.
• Use während for something happening during an event and außerhalb for something outside a place or time period.
• In careful writing, use the genitive after these prepositions; colloquial speech sometimes uses the dative after wegen or trotz.

Examples

• Wegen des starken Regens bleiben wir heute zu Hause. — Because of the heavy rain, we’re staying home today.
• Trotz der Verspätung haben wir den Zug noch erreicht. — Despite the delay, we still caught the train.
• Während des Gesprächs war mein Handy ausgeschaltet. — During the conversation, my phone was turned off.
• Außerhalb der Öffnungszeiten ist die Bibliothek geschlossen. — Outside opening hours, the library is closed.

Common mistake

❌ Wegen dem Regen bleiben wir zu Hause.

✅ Wegen des Regens bleiben wir zu Hause.

In standard written German, wegen takes the genitive; dem Regen is a common colloquial dative form.

Remember

After these prepositions, check both the article and, for masculine or neuter singular nouns, the noun ending.