what is it?
Formal written German uses a set of prepositions that govern the genitive case: aufgrund (on the basis of / because of), infolge (as a result of), anhand (on the basis of / by means of), bezüglich (regarding), hinsichtlich (with regard to), anlässlich (on the occasion of), mangels (for lack of), angesichts (in view of), (an)statt (instead of) and während (during). They are the backbone of official, academic and journalistic prose. In everyday speech most of them are replaced by simpler prepositions — or slip into the dative — but in formal writing the genitive is the standard, and dative substitution is marked as an error.
when to use it
Formal register. Use these prepositions in official correspondence, contracts, reports, news and academic writing. In casual conversation they sound stiff and bureaucratic; plain wegen or a clause with weil is more natural there.
Pick by meaning. Each preposition covers one semantic niche — reason, consequence, evidence, topic, occasion, lack, assessment, time span, replacement. The table below gives the core meanings.
Register contrast with the dative. In everyday speech forms like wegen dem Regen or während dem Essen are widespread, but standard written German requires the genitive: wegen des Regens, während des Essens.
| preposition | meaning | typical context |
|---|---|---|
| aufgrund | because of, on the grounds of | reasons, justifications |
| infolge | as a result of | consequences of an event |
| anhand | on the basis of, by means of | evidence, data, documents |
| bezüglich | regarding | correspondence, topics |
| hinsichtlich | with regard to | aspects under discussion |
| anlässlich | on the occasion of | ceremonies, anniversaries |
| mangels | for lack of | legal and official prose |
| angesichts | in view of | assessments of a situation |
| (an)statt | instead of | replacement |
| während | during | time spans |
formation
The preposition is followed by a noun phrase in the genitive. The article carries the case: des for masculine and neuter singular, der for feminine singular and all plurals (eines / einer for indefinites). Masculine and neuter singular nouns additionally take the ending -s / -es (des Wetters, eines Berichtes); feminine and plural nouns are unchanged. Attributive adjectives take -en (des schlechten Wetters).
| noun | gender / number | genitive phrase |
|---|---|---|
| das Wetter | neuter singular | aufgrund des schlechten Wetters |
| der Sommer | masculine singular | während des Sommers |
| die Anfrage | feminine singular | bezüglich der Anfrage |
| die Daten (pl.) | plural | anhand der Daten |
When no article or adjective is there to show the case, the genitive becomes invisible — and even formal German switches to the dative or to von: mangels Beweisen «for lack of evidence» (dative plural), während fünf Jahren, infolge von Unfällen. With a bare singular noun the genitive -s is optional: wegen Amtsmissbrauch(s).
examples in context
common pitfalls
Dative substitution in formal writing. *Aufgrund dem schlechten Wetter is wrong in formal register — write aufgrund des schlechten Wetters. The same applies to wegen dem Regen → wegen des Regens: common in speech, marked as an error in formal writing.
Forgetting the -s/-es on masculine and neuter singular nouns. The genitive is marked twice — on the article and on the noun: *während des Sommer → während des Sommers, *aufgrund des Wetter → aufgrund des Wetters.
Overusing wegen in formal texts. wegen is correct but stylistically plain. Formal register often prefers aufgrund for reasons and infolge for consequences: Infolge des Sturms fielen mehrere Züge aus.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
Angesichts ___ sprach die Ärztin sehr einfühlsam mit dem Patienten. (das Trauma)
Fill in the blank with the correct genitive form of the noun phrase in parentheses.