Genitive Prepositions: wegen, trotz, während
Put the new genitive to work after the prepositions of official German: wegen for causes, trotz for contrasts, während for time spans — plus innerhalb and außerhalb for limits and deadlines.
wegen: because of
At A2 you gave reasons with whole clauses: weil der Zug Verspätung hat. The preposition wegen compresses the same reason into two or three words with a genitive: wegen der Verspätung — because of the delay. No verb, no clause, no comma. This is why announcements and official notices love it.
The pattern is simply wegen plus genitive: wegen des Wetters, wegen eines Unfalls, wegen der Renovierung. Everything you learned in the last lesson applies — des for masculine and neuter with -s or -es on the noun, der for feminine and plural.
wegen is also the polite way to state your business on the phone or at a counter: Ich rufe wegen meiner Rechnung an — I am calling about my bill. One preposition, and the whole reason for your call is on the table.
Wegen des Wetters bleiben wir heute zu Hause.
Because of the weather we are staying at home today.
Der Zug hat wegen eines Unfalls Verspätung.
The train is delayed because of an accident.
Wegen der Renovierung bleibt das Büro diese Woche geschlossen.
Because of the renovation the office stays closed this week.
Guten Tag, ich rufe wegen meiner Rechnung an.
Hello, I am calling about my bill.
wegen states the reason for a call or visit — very useful on the phone.
trotz: despite
trotz plus genitive expresses a contrast: something happened although something else spoke against it. Trotz des Regens sind wir zu Fuß gegangen — despite the rain, we walked. You already know how to build this contrast with two clauses and trotzdem: Es hat geregnet. Trotzdem sind wir zu Fuß gegangen. trotz says the same in a single phrase.
Keep the two words apart in your head: trotz is a preposition and needs a noun in the genitive; trotzdem is an adverb that starts a new main clause. They are relatives, not twins.
When an adjective stands between trotz or wegen and the noun, it takes the ending -en after des and der: trotz der hohen Miete, wegen des schlechten Wetters. For now, simply remember: inside a genitive phrase with an article, the adjective ends in -en.
Trotz des Regens sind wir zu Fuß gegangen.
Despite the rain we went on foot.
Trotz der hohen Miete bleiben wir in der Wohnung.
Despite the high rent we are staying in the flat.
After des and der, an adjective inside the genitive phrase ends in -en: der hohen Miete.
Er ist trotz seiner Erkältung zur Arbeit gegangen.
He went to work despite his cold.
während, innerhalb, außerhalb
You met während in lesson four as a conjunction: Während ich koche, deckt er den Tisch — with a verb at the end of its clause. The same word works as a preposition with the genitive: Während der Renovierung wohnen wir bei Freunden. The test is simple: preposition während is followed by a noun phrase, conjunction während by a whole clause with a verb.
innerhalb (within, inside) and außerhalb (outside) complete the set. innerhalb einer Woche means within one week — the standard wording of every deadline German bureaucracy will ever set you. außerhalb der Öffnungszeiten means outside opening hours.
These three prepositions carry enormous weight in official letters: während des Umbaus, innerhalb eines Monats, außerhalb der Sprechzeiten. Learn to spot them and deadlines stop being surprises.
Während der Renovierung wohnen wir bei Freunden.
During the renovation we are staying with friends.
Here während is a preposition with the genitive — no verb follows, unlike the conjunction.
Während des Sommers ist das Schwimmbad täglich geöffnet.
During the summer the swimming pool is open daily.
Bitte antworten Sie innerhalb einer Woche.
Please reply within one week.
innerhalb + genitive is the standard deadline formula in official letters.
Außerhalb der Öffnungszeiten erreichen Sie uns per E-Mail.
Outside opening hours you can reach us by e-mail.
Register: spoken dative, written genitive
In relaxed conversation, many Germans use the dative after wegen and trotz: wegen dem Wetter, trotz dem Regen. You will hear it every day, and some fixed phrases are always dative — trotz allem, despite everything. Do not let this confuse you: the colloquial dative is real, widespread and informal.
For writing, the rule is clear: use the genitive. A complaint to your landlord, an e-mail to an office, a B1 exam letter — all of these expect wegen des Wasserschadens, not wegen dem Wasserschaden. The genitive after these prepositions is one of the clearest register signals in German.
So split your habits deliberately: listen without judging when you hear wegen dem, but train your own writing hand on the genitive. The examples below show the written standard in the kinds of sentences you will actually need.
Wegen dem Wetter bleiben wir lieber drinnen.
Because of the weather we would rather stay inside.
Colloquial spoken German: dative after wegen. Understand it, but write the genitive.
Wegen eines Wasserschadens bleibt das Treppenhaus gesperrt.
Because of water damage the stairwell remains closed.
Innerhalb eines Monats müssen Sie den Vertrag kündigen.
You must cancel the contract within one month.
Check yourself
Quick checks on this lesson. Get at least three quarters right to mark it as completed.
___ des Streiks fahren heute keine Busse. — Which word fits?
Practise what you learned