Prepositions with the genitive (wegen, während, trotz, statt)

Wir bleiben wegen des Regens zu Hause.We're staying home because of the rain.

A small group of prepositions — wegen, während, trotz, statt — take the genitive in standard German (des Mannes, der Frau). It's the smallest of the fixed preposition groups.

Quick shortcut: wegen, während, trotz, and statt take the genitive in standard German — wegen des Regens (because of the rain), während der Nacht (during the night), trotz des Wetters (despite the weather), statt des Autos (instead of the car).

The fixed genitive prepositions

Just like with the accusative and dative groups, the standard case doesn't depend on meaning or direction — it's simply fixed to the preposition itself. And exactly as in any other genitive phrase, a masculine or neuter noun after one of these still needs its own -s/-es ending, not just the article: wegen des Regens, trotz des Wetters. The exception is weak masculine nouns like der Student, which keep their -n/-en ending instead: wegen des Studenten, not ❌ wegen des Studentens.

wegen — because of

Wegen gives a reason, the same job as weil does for a whole clause, but for a noun phrase instead:

• Wegen des Regens bleibe ich zu Hause. (Because of the rain, I'm staying home.)
• Wegen der Prüfung habe ich keine Zeit. (Because of the exam, I have no time.)

während — during

Während places something within a stretch of time:

• Während der Nacht war es sehr kalt. (During the night, it was very cold.)
• Während des Films hat er geschlafen. (During the movie, he slept.)

trotz — despite

Trotz signals a contrast — the outcome happens anyway, against expectation:

• Trotz des Wetters gehen wir spazieren. (Despite the weather, we're going for a walk.)
• Trotz der Probleme ist alles gut gelaufen. (Despite the problems, everything went well.)

statt — instead of

Statt replaces one thing with another:

• Statt des Autos nehme ich den Bus. (Instead of the car, I'm taking the bus.)
• Statt eines Kaffees trinke ich Tee. (Instead of a coffee, I'm drinking tea.)

Genitive vs. dative in everyday speech

Just like the genitive case itself, these four prepositions increasingly appear with the dative in casual spoken German, especially wegen and trotz:

• Genitive (standard, written): wegen des Regens
• Spoken alternative (common, informal): wegen dem Regen

Both are heard in practice, but the genitive is still the form taught and expected in writing, exams, and formal speech — ✅ wegen des Regens, not ❌ wegen dem Regen, if you want to stay on the safe side.

Common mistakes

• ❌ wegen der Regen → ✅ wegen des Regens (masculine noun needs both the genitive article and its own -s ending)
• ❌ trotz das Wetter → ✅ trotz des Wetters (neuter noun works the same way — article and ending change)
• ❌ während die Nacht → ✅ während der Nacht (feminine genitive article is der, not die)

Quick check

Which form is correct?

1. Wegen ___ Wetters (das / des) bleiben wir zu Hause.
2. Während ___ Reise (die / der) haben wir viel gesehen.
3. Trotz ___ Problem___ (der Problem / des Problems) hat es geklappt.
4. Statt ___ Tee (der / des) trinke ich Kaffee. (der Tee, masculine)

Key takeaways

• Wegen, während, trotz, and statt take the genitive in standard German, regardless of meaning — the same fixed-case pattern as the accusative and dative preposition groups.
• Wegen = because of, während = during, trotz = despite, statt = instead of.
• A masculine or neuter noun after any of these still needs its own -s/-es ending, not just the genitive article (wegen des Regens, trotz des Wetters) — except weak masculine nouns, which keep their -n/-en ending instead (wegen des Studenten).
• Casual spoken German often swaps in the dative after wegen and trotz (wegen dem Regen), but the genitive stays the standard, expected form in writing and formal speech.