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{{Short description|Grammatical case}}
{{redirect|Genitive|broader category|Genitive construction}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2023}}
[[File:Lugal Kiengi Kiuri, King of Sumer and Akkad, on a seal of Shulgi.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Cuneiform]] inscription ''Lugal Kiengi Kiuri'' {{cuneiform|5|𒈗𒆠𒂗𒄀𒆠𒌵}},{{clarify|Why is the final 𒆤 left out?|date=March 2025}} "[[King of Sumer and Akkad]]", on a seal of [[Sumer]]ian king [[Shulgi]] ({{reign}} {{circa|2094|2047 BCE}}). The final ''ke<sub>4</sub>'' {{cuneiform|5|𒆤}} is the composite of -k (genitive case) and -e ([[ergative case]]).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Edzard |first1=Dietz Otto |title=Sumerian Grammar |date=2003 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-474-0340-1 |page=36 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HOx5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA36 |language=en}}</ref>]]
In [[grammar]], the '''genitive case''' ([[list of glossing abbreviations|abbreviated]] {{smallcaps|'''gen'''}})<ref>[http://www.eva.mpg.de/lingua/resources/glossing-rules.php Glossing Rules]. Department of Linguistics. [[Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology]]. Leipzig.</ref> is the [[grammatical case]] that marks a word, usually a [[noun]], as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an [[attributive noun|attributive]] relationship of one noun to the other noun.<ref>Dictionary.com, [[genitive]]</ref> A genitive can also serve purposes indicating other relationships. For example, some [[verb]]s may feature [[argument (linguistics)|arguments]] in the genitive case; and the genitive case may also have [[adverb]]ial uses (see [[adverbial genitive]]).

The [[genitive construction]] includes the genitive case, but is a broader category. Placing a modifying noun in the genitive case is one way of indicating that it is related to a [[head noun]], in a genitive construction. However, there are other ways to indicate a genitive construction.  For example, many [[Afroasiatic languages]] place the head noun (rather than the modifying noun) in the [[construct state]].

[[Possessive]] grammatical constructions, including the possessive case, may be regarded as subsets of the genitive construction. For example, the genitive construction "pack of dogs" is similar, but not identical in meaning to the possessive case "dogs' pack" (and neither of these is entirely interchangeable with "dog pack", which is neither genitive nor possessive). [[Modern English]] is an example of a language that has a possessive case rather than a ''conventional'' genitive case. That is, Modern English indicates a genitive construction with either the possessive [[clitic]] suffix "[[Saxon genitive|-{{'s}}]]", or a [[preposition]]al genitive construction such as "x of y". However, some irregular English pronouns do have possessive forms which may more commonly be described as genitive (see [[English possessive]]). The names of the astronomical constellations have genitive forms which are used in star names, for example the star [[Mintaka]] in the constellation [[Orion (constellation)|Orion]] (genitive Orionis) is also known as Delta Orionis or 34 Orionis.

Many languages have a genitive case, including [[Albanian language|Albanian]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Armenian language|Armenian]], [[Basque language|Basque]], [[Danish language|Danish]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[Estonian language|Estonian]], [[Finnish language|Finnish]], [[Georgian language|Georgian]], [[German language|German]], [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Gothic Language|Gothic]], [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]], [[Irish language|Irish]], [[Kannada language|Kannada]], [[Latin]], [[Latvian language|Latvian]], [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]], [[Malayalam]], [[Nepali language|Nepali]], [[Romanian language|Romanian]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Scottish Gaelic]], [[Swedish language|Swedish]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], all [[Slavic languages]] except [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]], and most of the [[Turkic languages]].

==Functions==
Depending on the language, specific varieties of genitive-noun–main-noun relationships may include:
* [[possession (linguistics)|possession]] (''see'' [[possessive]] case, [[possessed case]]):
** [[inalienable possession]] ("''Janet's'' height", "''Janet's'' existence", "''Janet's'' long fingers")
** [[alienable possession]] ("''Janet's'' jacket", "''Janet's'' drink")
** relationship indicated by the noun being modified ("''Janet's'' husband")
* composition (''see'' [[Partitive]]):
** substance ("a wheel ''of cheese''")
** elements ("a group ''of men''")
** source ("a portion ''of the food''")
* participation in an action:
** as an [[agent (grammar)|agent]] ("She benefited from ''her father's'' love")&nbsp;– this is called the ''subjective genitive'' (Compare "Her father loved her", where ''Her father'' is the ''subject''.)
** as a [[Patient (grammar)|patient]] ("the love ''of music''") &nbsp;– this is called the ''objective genitive'' (Compare "She loves music", where ''music'' is the ''object''.)
* origin ("men ''of Rome''")
* reference ("the capital ''of the Republic''" '''or''' "''the Republic's'' capital")
* description ("man ''of honour''", "day ''of reckoning''")
* compounds ("''dooms''day" ("doom's day"), [[Scottish Gaelic]] "''ball coise''" = "football", where "''coise''" = gen. of "''cas''", "foot")
* [[Apposition#Appositive genitive|apposition]] (the city of Rome)
Depending on the language, some of the relationships mentioned above have their own distinct cases different from the genitive.

[[Possessive pronoun]]s are distinct pronouns, found in Indo-European languages such as English, that function like pronouns inflected in the genitive. They are considered separate pronouns if contrasting to languages where pronouns are regularly inflected in the genitive. For example, English ''my'' is either a separate [[possessive adjective]] or an irregular genitive of ''I'', while in Finnish, for example, ''minun'' is regularly [[agglutination|agglutinated]] from ''minu-'' "I" and ''-n'' (genitive).

In some languages, nouns in the genitive case also [[agreement (linguistics)|agree]] in case with the nouns they modify (that is, it is marked for two cases). This phenomenon is called [[suffixaufnahme]].

In some languages, nouns in the genitive case may be found in [[inclusio (linguistics)|inclusio]] – that is, between the main noun's [[article (grammar)|article]] and the noun itself.

== English ==
{{Further|English possessive}}

[[Old English grammar|Old English]] had a genitive case, which has left its mark in modern English in the form of the possessive ending '''s'' (now sometimes referred to as the "Saxon genitive"), as well as possessive adjective forms such as ''his'', ''their'', etc., and in certain words derived from [[adverbial genitive]]s such as ''once'' and ''afterwards''. (Other Old English case markers have generally disappeared completely.) The modern English possessive forms are not normally considered to represent a grammatical case, although they are sometimes referred to as genitives or as belonging to a [[possessive case]]. One of the reasons that the status of ''{{'}}s'' as a case ending is often rejected is that it does not behave as such, but rather as a clitic marking that indicates that a dependency relationship exists between phrases. One can say ''the King's war'', but also ''the King of France's war'', where the genitive marker is attached to the full noun phrase ''the King of France'', whereas case markers are normally attached to the [[head (linguistics)|head]] of a phrase.
In languages having a true genitive case, such as Old English, this example may be expressed as ''þes cynges wyrre of France'',<ref>{{cite book |title=The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle |editor=Benjamin Thorpe |editor-link=Benjamin Thorpe |page=372 |series=Rerum Britannicarum Medii Aevi Scriptores |volume=23 |publisher=Longman and Co. |year=1861 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-PXStRMJiDMC&dq=%22%E2%88%9A%C3%A6es+cynges+wyrre+of+France%22&pg=PA372}}</ref> literally "the King's war of France", with the ''{{'}}s'' attaching to ''the King''.

==Finnic genitives and accusatives==
[[Finnic languages]] ([[Finnish language|Finnish]], [[Estonian language|Estonian]], etc.) have genitive cases.

In Finnish, prototypically the genitive is marked with ''-n'', e.g. ''maa&nbsp;– maan'' "country&nbsp;– of the country". The stem may change, however, with [[consonant gradation]] and other reasons. For example, in certain words ending in consonants, ''-e-'' is added, e.g. ''mies&nbsp;– miehen'' "man&nbsp;– of the man", and in some, but not all words ending in ''-i'', the ''-i'' is changed to an ''-e-'', to give ''-en'', e.g.  ''lumi&nbsp;– lumen'' "snow&nbsp;– of the snow". The genitive is used extensively, with animate and inanimate possessors. In addition to the genitive, there is also a [[partitive case]] (marked ''-ta/-tä'' or ''-a/-ä'') used for expressing that something is a part of a larger mass, e.g. ''joukko miehiä'' "a group of men".

In Estonian, the genitive marker ''-n'' has elided with respect to Finnish. Thus, the genitive always ends with a vowel, and the singular genitive is sometimes (in a subset of words ending with a vocal in nominative) identical in form to nominative. However, there are multiple strategies to form genitives from nominative forms ending in consonants, including addition of an unpredictable vowel, [[syncope (phonology)|syncope]], or even [[disfix]]ation.<ref>[http://www.eki.ee/dict/qs2018/muuttyybid.html Muuttüübid]</ref>

In Finnish, in addition to the uses mentioned above, there is a construct where the genitive is used to mark a surname. For example, ''Juhani Virtanen'' can be also expressed ''Virtasen Juhani'' ("Juhani of the Virtanens").

A complication in Finnic languages is that the [[accusative case]] ''-(e)n'' is homophonic to the genitive case. This case does not indicate possession, but is a syntactic marker for the object, additionally indicating that the action is [[Telicity|telic]] (completed). In [[Estonian language|Estonian]], it is often said that only a "genitive" exists. However, the cases have completely different functions, and the form of the accusative has developed from *''-(e)m''. (The same sound change has developed into a synchronic mutation of a final ''m'' into ''n'' in Finnish, e.g. genitive ''sydämen'' vs. nominative ''sydän''.) This homophony has exceptions in [[Finnish language|Finnish]], where a separate accusative ''-(e)t'' is found in pronouns, e.g. ''kenet'' "who (telic object)", vs. ''kenen'' "whose".

A difference is also observed in some of the related [[Sami languages|Sámi languages]], where the pronouns and the plural of nouns in the genitive and accusative are easily distinguishable from each other, e.g., ''kuä'cǩǩmi'' "eagles' (genitive plural)" and ''kuä'cǩǩmid'' "eagles (accusative plural)" in [[Skolt Sami language|Skolt Sami]].

==German==
It is also called "second case" in some German language educational sources in Chinese.<ref>{{Cite web |title=第二格 |url=https://learngerman.dw.com/zh/%E7%AC%AC%E4%BA%8C%E6%A0%BC/l-52174369/gr-52175764 |website=DW Deutsch lernen |language=zh}}</ref>

=== Conjugation ===

==== Articles ====
{{Lang|de|des, des, der, der}} is used. See [[German articles]].

==== Nouns ====
German uses {{Lang|de|-s/-es}} for masculine and neutral nouns to label genitive case. For feminine, the noun itself does not change.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Genitiv |url=https://learngerman.dw.com/de/genitiv/l-40685062/gr-41701510 |website=DW Deutsch lernen |language=de}}</ref>
*  {{lang|de|des Beitrag'''s'''}} (of the contribution) – masculine
*  {{lang|de|der Blume}} (of the flower) – feminine
*  {{lang|de|des Bundesland'''es'''}} (of the state) – neuter
*  {{lang|de|der Bäume}} (of the trees) – plural
Singular masculine nouns (and one neuter noun) of the weak declension are marked with an {{lang|de|-(e)n}} (or rarely {{lang|de|-(e)ns}}) ending in the genitive case:
*  {{lang|de|des Rabe'''n'''}} (of the [[raven]]) – masculine
*  {{lang|de|des Herz'''ens'''}} (of the heart) – neuter

==== Adjectives ====
The declension of adjectives in the genitive case is as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Masculine & Neuter
!Feminine & Plural
|-
|With article
| rowspan="2" | {{lang|de|-en}}
| {{lang|de|-en}}
|-
|With no article
| {{lang|de|-er}}
|}

==== Personal pronouns ====
The genitive personal pronouns are quite rare and either very formal, literary or outdated. They are as follows (with comparison to the nominative pronouns):
{| class="wikitable"
!Nominative
!Genitive
|-
|{{lang|de|ich}} (I)
|{{lang|de|meiner}}
|-
|{{lang|de|du}} (you sg.)
|{{lang|de|deiner}}
|-
|{{lang|de|er}} (he)
| rowspan="2" | {{lang|de|seiner}}
|-
|{{lang|de|es}} (it)
|-
|{{lang|de|wir}} (we)
|{{lang|de|unser}}
|-
|{{lang|de|ihr}} (you pl.)
|{{lang|de|euer}}
|-
|{{lang|de|Sie}} (you formal sg./pl.)
|{{lang|de|Ihrer}}
|-
|{{lang|de|sie}} (she/they)
|{{lang|de|ihrer}}
|}
Some examples:
*  {{lang|de|Würden Sie statt '''meiner''' gehen?}} (Would you go instead ''of me''?)
*  {{lang|de|Wir sind '''ihrer''' nicht würdig}} (We are not worthy ''of her/them'')
*  {{lang|de|Ich werde '''euer''' gedenken}} (I will commemorate ''you'')

==== Relative pronouns ====
Unlike the personal ones, the genitive relative pronouns are in regular use and are as follows (with comparison to the nominative relative pronouns):
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Nominative
!Genitive
|-
|Masculine
|{{lang|de|der}}
| rowspan="2" | {{lang|de|dessen}}
|-
|Neuter
|{{lang|de|das}}
|-
|Feminine & Plural
|{{lang|de|die}}
|{{lang|de|deren}}
|}
Some examples:
* {{lang|de|Kennst du den Schüler, '''dessen''' Mutter eine Hexe ist?}} (Do you know the student ''whose'' mother is a witch?) – masculine
* {{lang|de|Sie ist die Frau, '''deren''' Mann Rennfahrer ist}} (She is the woman ''whose'' husband is a racer) – feminine

=== Usage ===

==== Nouns ====
The genitive case is often used to show possession or the relation between nouns:
*{{lang|de|die Farbe|italic=no}} {{lang|de|des}} {{lang|de|Himmels}} (the colour ''of the'' ''sky'')
*{{lang|de|Deutschland liegt im Herzen|italic=no}} {{lang|de|Europas}} (Germany lies in the heart ''of Europe'')
*{{lang|de|der Tod|italic=no}} {{lang|de|seiner Frau}} (the death ''of his wife'')
*{{lang|de|die Entwicklung|italic=no}} {{lang|de|dieser Länder}} (the development ''of these countries'')
A simple {{lang|de|s}} is added to the end of a name:
*{{lang|de|Claudias}} {{lang|de|Buch|italic=no}} (''Claudia's'' book)

==== Prepositions ====
The genitive case is also commonly found after certain prepositions:
* {{lang|de|innerhalb|italic=no}} {{lang|de|eines Tages}} (within ''a day'')
* {{lang|de|statt|italic=no}} {{lang|de|des}} {{lang|de|Hemdes}} (instead ''of the shirt'')
* {{lang|de|während|italic=no}} {{lang|de|unserer}} {{lang|de|Abwesenheit}} (during ''our absence'')
* {{lang|de|jenseits|italic=no}} {{lang|de|der Berge}} (beyond ''the mountains'')

==== Adjectives ====
The genitive case can sometimes be found in connection with certain adjectives:
* {{lang|de|Wir sind uns|italic=no}} {{lang|de|dessen}} {{lang|de|bewusst|italic=no}} (We are aware ''of that'')
* {{lang|de|Er ist|italic=no}} {{lang|de|des Diebstahls}} {{lang|de|schuldig|italic=no}} (He is guilty ''of theft'')
* {{lang|de|Das Kind ist|italic=no}} {{lang|de|der Ruhe}} {{lang|de|bedürftig|italic=no}} (The child is in need ''of calmness'')
* {{lang|de|Ich werde|italic=no}} {{lang|de|dieses Lebens}} {{lang|de|überdrüssig|italic=no}} (I am growing weary ''of this life'')

==== Verbs ====
The genitive case is occasionally found in connection with certain verbs (some of which require an accusative before the genitive); they are mostly either formal or legal:
* {{lang|de|Die Stadt erfreut sich|italic=no}} {{lang|de|eines günstigen Klimas}} (The city enjoys ''a favourable climate'')
* {{lang|de|Gedenken Sie|italic=no}} {{lang|de|der Toten}} {{lang|de|des Krieges|italic=no}} (Remember ''those who died'' in (the) war)
* {{lang|de|Wer klagte ihn|italic=no}} {{lang|de|des Mordes}} {{lang|de|an?|italic=no}} (Who accused him ''of murder''?)
* {{lang|de|Man verdächtigt euch|italic=no}} {{lang|de|des Betrugs}} (Someone suspects you ''of (committing) fraud'')

==Greek==
The [[ablative case]] of [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] was absorbed into the genitive in Classical Greek.<ref>{{cite book|author=Herbert Weir Smyth|title=Greek Grammar|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1956}}, page 313 and elsewhere</ref> This added to the usages of the "genitive proper", the usages of the "ablatival genitive". The genitive occurs with verbs, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions. See also [[Genitive absolute]].

==Hungarian==
The [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] genitive is constructed using the suffix ''-é''.
*{{Langx|hu|madár}} ('bird'); {{Lang|hu|madáré}} ('bird's')

The genitive ''-é'' suffix is only used with the predicate of a sentence: it serves the role of mine, yours, hers, etc. The possessed object is left in the nominative case. For example:
*''A csőr a madáré'' ('The beak is the bird's').

If the possessor is not the predicate of the sentence, the genitive is not used. Instead, the possessive suffixes (''-(j)e'' or ''-(j)a'' in the third person singular, depending on [[vowel harmony]]) mark the possessed object. The possessor is left in the nominative if it directly precedes the possessed object (otherwise it takes a dative ''-nak/-nek'' suffix). For example: 
*''csőr'' ('beak'); ''csőre'' ('its beak')
*''a madár csőre''/''csőre a madárnak'' ('the bird's beak')

In addition, the suffix ''-i'' ('of') is also used. For example:
*''madár'' ('bird'); ''madári'' ('avian', 'of bird(s)')

==Japanese==
[[Japanese language|Japanese]] construes the genitive by using the [[grammatical particle]] ''no'' の.  It can be used to show a number of relationships to the head noun. For example:
:猫の手 ''neko-no te'' ("cat's paw")
:学生の一人 ''gakusei-no hitori'' ("one of the students")
:金の指輪 ''kin-no yubiwa'' ("a ring of gold")
:京都のどこ ''Kyouto-no doko'' ("where of (in) Kyoto")
:富士の山 ''Fuji-no yama'' ("the mountain of Fuji" [Mt. Fuji])
The archaic genitive case particle ''-ga'' ～が is still retained in certain expressions, place names, and dialects. Possessive ''ga'' can also be written as a [[small ke]] ({{lang|ja|ヶ}}), for example in {{nihongo||霞ヶ丘|Kasumigaoka}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/small-ke.html|title=What is the small katakana ke in 霞ヶ丘 and 一ヶ月?|website=sci.lang.japan}}</ref>

Typically, languages have nominative case nouns converting into genitive case. It has been found, however, that the [[Kansai dialect]] of Japanese will in rare cases allow accusative case to convert to genitive, if specific conditions are met in the clause in which the conversion appears. This is referred to as "Accusative-Genitive conversion."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Shin'ya|first=Asano|author2=Hiroyuki Una|title=Mood and Case: with special reference to genitive Case conversion in Kansai Japanese.|journal=Journal of East Asian Linguistics|date=February 2010|volume=19|issue=1|pages=37–59|doi=10.1007/s10831-009-9055-y|s2cid=123519063 }}</ref>

==Latin==
The genitive is one of the cases of nouns and pronouns in [[Latin grammar|Latin]]. Latin genitives still have certain modern scientific uses:
*[[Binomial nomenclature|Scientific names]] of living things sometimes contain genitives, as in the plant name ''[[Buddleja davidii]]'', meaning "David's buddleia". Here ''davidii'' is the genitive of ''Davidius'', a [[Latinisation (literature)|Latinized]] version of the Hebrew name. It is not capitalized because it is the second part of a binomial name.
*Names of astronomical constellations are Latin, and the genitives of their names are used in naming objects in those constellations, as in the [[Bayer designation]] of stars. For example, the brightest star in the constellation [[Virgo (constellation)|Virgo]] is called ''Alpha Virginis'', which is to say "Alpha of Virgo", as ''virginis'' is the genitive of ''virgō''. Plural forms and adjectives also decline accordingly: plural ''Alpha Piscium'' ([[Pisces (constellation)|Pisces]]) and ''Alpha Canum Venaticorum'' ([[Canes Venatici]]) versus singular ''Alpha Piscis Austrini'' ([[Piscis Austrinus]]) and ''Alpha Canis Majoris'' ([[Canis Major]]). Astronomy manuals often list the genitive forms, as some are easy to get wrong even with a basic knowledge of Latin, e.g. [[Vela (constellation)|Vela]], which is a neuter plural not a feminine singular: ''Delta Velorum'' not *''Delta Velae''.
* ''[[Modus operandi]]'', which can be translated to English as "mode of operation", in which ''operandi'' is a singular genitive [[gerund]] (i.e. "of operation"), not a plural of ''operandus'' as is sometimes mistakenly assumed.

==Irish==
{{misleading|section|date=October 2013}}
The [[Irish language]] also uses a genitive case (''tuiseal ginideach''). For example, in the phrase ''bean an tí'' (woman of the house), ''tí'' is the genitive case of ''teach'', meaning "house". Another example is ''barr an chnoic'', "top of the hill", where ''cnoc'' means "hill", but is changed to ''chnoic'', which also incorporates [[lenition]].

==Mandarin==
In [[Mandarin Chinese]], the genitive case is made by use of the particle 的 (de).<ref>{{cite book | chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-14331-6_44 | doi=10.1007/978-3-319-14331-6_44 | chapter=Generalized Case Theory and the Argument-Omission Structure in Mandarin Chinese | title=Chinese Lexical Semantics | series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science | year=2014 | last1=Yang | first1=Yong | volume=8922 | pages=441–447 | isbn=978-3-319-14330-9 }}</ref>

{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=3
|我 '''的''' 猫|c1= &#91;{{lang-zh|labels=no|t=我的貓}}&#93;
|wǒ '''de''' māo
|my cat}}

However, about persons in relation to oneself, 的 is often dropped when the context allows for it to be easily understood.

{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=3
|我 '''的''' 妈妈 → 我 妈妈|c1= &#91;{{lang-zh|labels=no|t=我媽媽}}&#93;
|wǒ '''de''' māmā {} wǒ māmā
|both mean "my mother"}}

==Persian==
{{main|Ezāfe}}
[[Old Persian]] had a true genitive case inherited from [[Proto-Indo-European]]. By the time of [[Middle Persian]], the genitive case had been lost and replaced by an analytical construction which is now called [[Ezāfe]]. This construction was inherited by [[New Persian]], and was also later borrowed into numerous other [[Iranian Languages|Iranic]], [[Turkic Languages|Turkic]] and [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] languages of Western and South Asia.

==Semitic languages==

Genitive case marking existed in [[Proto-Semitic]], [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]], and [[Ugaritic]]. It indicated possession, and it is preserved today only in [[Arabic]].

===Akkadian===
:Nominative: ''šarrum'' (king)
:Genitive: ''aššat šarrim'' (wife of king = king's wife)

===Arabic===
Called المجرور ''al-majrūr'' (meaning "dragged") or المخفوض ''al-makhfūḍ'' (meaning "lowered") in [[Arabic]], the genitive case functions both as an indication of ownership (ex. the door '''of the house''') and for nouns following a preposition.

:Nominative: ٌبيت ''baytun'' (a house)
:Genitive: ٍبابُ بيت ''bābu baytin'' (door of a house) ِبابُ البيت ''bābu l-bayti'' (door of the house)

The Arabic genitive marking also appears after prepositions.
:e.g. ٍبابٌ لبيت ''bābun li-baytin'' (a door '''for''' a house)

The Semitic genitive should not be confused with the pronominal possessive suffixes that exist in all the Semitic languages

:e.g. Arabic بيتي ''bayt-ī'' (my house) َكتابُك ''kitābu-ka'' (your [masc.] book).

==Slavic languages==

With the exception of Bulgarian and Macedonian, all [[Slavic languages]] decline the nouns and adjectives in accordance with the genitive case using a variety of endings depending on the word's [[word class|lexical category]], its gender, number (singular or plural) and in some cases meaning. For instance, in Russian [[Broutona]] (lit. [[William Robert Broughton|Broughton]]'s) island name, its genitive/possessive case is created by adding ''a'' [[affix]] to the explorer's name.

===Possessives===
To indicate possession the ending of the noun indicating the possessor changes depending on the word's ending in the [[nominative case]]. 
For example, to ''a, u, i'', or ''y'' in [[Polish language|Polish]], ''а, я, ы'', or ''и'' in [[Russian language|Russian]], ''а, я, y, ю, і, и'' or ''ей'' in [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], and similar cases in other Slavic languages.

:Nominative: (pol.) "Oto Anton" / (rus.) "Вот Антон" / (ukr.) "Ось Антон" ("Here is Anton").
:Genitive: (pol.) "Oto obiad Anton'''а'''" / (rus.) "Вот обед Антон'''а'''" / (ukr.) "Ось oбід Антон'''а'''" ("Here is Anton's lunch").

Possessives can also be formed by the construction (pol.) "u [subject] jest [object]" / (rus.) "У [subject] есть [object]"/ (ukr.) "у(в) [subject] є [object]"

:Nominative: (pol.) "Oto Anton" / (rus.) "Вот Антон" / (ukr.) "Ось Антон" ("Here is Anton").
:Genitive: (pol.) "u Anton'''а''' jest obiad / (rus.) "У Антон'''а''' есть обед" / (ukr.) "У(В) Антон'''а''' є обід" ("Anton has a lunch", literally: "(There) is a lunch at Anton's").

In sentences where the possessor includes an associated pronoun, the pronoun also changes:

:Nominative: (pol.) Oto mój brat / (rus.) "Вот мой брат"/ (ukr.) "От мій брат"  ("Here is my brother").
:Genitive: (pol.) "u moj'''ego''' brat'''а''' jest obiad / (rus.) "У мо'''его''' брат'''а''' есть обед" / (ukr.) "У мо'''го''' брат'''а''' є обід"  ("My brother has a lunch", literally: "(There) is a lunch at my_brother's").

And in sentences denoting negative possession, the ending of the object noun also changes:

:Nominative: (pol.) "Oto Irena/Kornelia" / (rus.) "Вот Ирена/Корнелия" / (ukr.) "От Ірена/Корнелія"  ("Here is Irene/Kornelia").
:Genitive: (pol.) "Irena/Kornelia nie ma obiad'''u''' ("Irene/Kornelia does not have a lunch") or (pol.) "u Iren'''y'''/Korneli'''i''' nie ma obiad'''u''' ("(There) is no lunch at Irene's/Kornelia's") 
The Polish phrase "nie ma [object]" can work both as a negation of having [object] or a negation of an existence of [object], 
but the meaning of the two sentences and its structure is different. (In the first case [subject] is Irene, and in the second case [subject] is virtual, it is "the space" at Irene's place, not Irene herself)
:Genitive: (rus.) "У Ирен'''ы'''/Корнели'''и''' нет обед'''а'''" ("Irene/Kornelia does not have a lunch", literally: "(There) is no lunch at Irene's/Kornelia's"). 
The Russian word "нет" is a contraction of "не" + "есть". 
In Russian there is no distinction between [subject] not having an [object] and [object] not being present at [subject]'s.<!-- WRONG. "Ирина не имеет обеда" can be used as well -->
:Genitive: (ukr.) "Ірена/Корнелія не має обід'''у''' ("Irene does not have a lunch") or (ukr.) "y Ірен'''и'''/Корнелі'''ї''' нема(є) обід'''у''' ("At Irene's does not have a lunch") 
Note the difference  between the  spelling "не має [object]" and "нема(є) [object]" in both cases.

===To express negation===
The genitive case is also used in sentences expressing negation, even when no possessive relationship is involved. The ending of the subject noun changes just as it does in possessive sentences. The genitive, in this sense, can only be used to negate nominative, accusative and genitive sentences, and not other cases.

:Nominative: (pol.) "(Czy) Maria jest w domu?" / (rus.) "Мария дома?" / (Чи) Марія (є) вдома? ("Is Maria at home?").
:Genitive: (pol.) "Mari'''i''' nie ma w domu" ("Maria is not at home", literally: "[virtual subject] has no Maria at home")
:Genitive: (rus.) "Мари'''и''' нет дома" ("Maria is not at home", literally: "Of Maria there is none at home.").
:Genitive: (ukr.) "Марі'''ї''' нема(є) вдома" ("Maria is not at home", literally: "[virtual subject] has no Maria at home.")

:Accusative: (pol.) "Mogę rozczytać twoje pismo" / (rus.) Могу (про)читать твой почерк / (ukr.) Можу (про)читати твій почерк ("I can read your handwriting")
:Genitive: (pol.) "Nie mogę rozczytać twoj'''ego''' pism'''a'''" / (rus.) "Не могу (про)читать тво'''его''' почерк'''а'''" / (ukr.) "Не можу (про)читати тво'''го''' почерк'''у'''" ("I can't read your handwriting")

Use of genitive for negation is obligatory in [[Slovene language|Slovene]], [[Polish language|Polish]] and [[Old Church Slavonic]]. Some East Slavic languages ( e.g. [[Russian language|Russian]] and [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]]) employ either the accusative or genitive for negation, although the genitive is more commonly used. In [[Czech language|Czech]], [[Slovak language|Slovak]] and [[Serbo-Croatian language|Serbo-Croatian]], negating with the genitive case is perceived as rather archaic and the accusative is preferred, but genitive negation in these languages is still not uncommon, especially in music and literature.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/11298/1/salt_17_kagan.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719195031/http://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/11298/1/salt_17_kagan.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-19 |url-status=live |title=Property-Denoting NPs and Non-Canonical Genitive Case |author=Olga Kagan  |publisher=CLC Publications, Cornell University |journal=Proceedings of the 17th Semantics and Linguistic Theory Conference |year=2007 |access-date=January 27, 2013}}</ref>

===Partial direct object===
The genitive case is used with some verbs and [[mass noun]]s to indicate that the action covers only a part of the direct object (having a function of non-existing partitive case), whereas similar constructions using the [[Accusative case]] denote full coverage. Compare the sentences:

:Genitive: (pol.) "Napiłem się wod'''y'''" / (rus.) "Я напился вод'''ы'''" / (ukr.) "Я напився вод'''и'''" ("I drank water," i.e. "I drank some water, part of the water available")
:Accusative: (pol.) "Wypiłem wod'''ę'''" / (rus.) "Я выпил вод'''у''' / (ukr.) "Я випив вод'''у'''  ("I drank '''the''' water," i.e. "I drank all the water, all the water in question")

In Russian, special [[partitive case]] or sub-case is observed for some uncountable nouns which in some contexts have preferred alternative form on -у/ю instead of standard genitive on -а/я: выпил ча'''ю''' ('drank some tea'), but сорта ча'''я''' ('sorts of tea').

===Prepositional constructions===
The genitive case is also used in many prepositional constructions. (Usually when some movement or change of state is involved, and when describing the source / destination of the movement. Sometimes also when describing the manner of acting.) 
*Czech prepositions using genitive case: od (from), z, ze (from), do (into), bez (without), kromě (excepting), místo (instead of), podle (after, according to), podél (along), okolo (around), u (near, by), vedle (beside), během (during), pomocí (using, by the help of), stran (as regards) etc.
*Polish prepositions using genitive case: od (from), z, ze (from), do, w (into), na (onto), bez (without), zamiast (instead of), wedle (after, according to), wzdłuż (along), około (around), u (near, by), koło (beside), podczas (during), etc.
*Russian prepositions using genitive case: от (from), с, со (from), до (before, up to), без (without), кроме (excepting), вместо (instead of), после (after), вдоль (along), около (around), у (near, by), во время (during), насчёт (regarding), etc.

==Turkish==

The [[Turkish language|Turkish]] genitive, formed with a genitive suffix for the possessor, is used in combination with a possessive for the possessed entity, formed with a [[possessive suffix]]. For example, in "my mother's mother", the possessor is "my mother", and the possessed entity is "[her] mother". In Turkish:
:Nominative: ''anne'' ("mother");
:First-person possessive: ''annem'' ("my mother");
:Third-person possessive: ''annesi'' ("[someone]'s mother"); 
:Genitive of ''annem'': ''annemin'' ("my mother's");
:Genitive and possessive combined: ''annemin annesi'' ("my mother's mother", i.e., "my maternal grandmother").

==Albanian==

The genitive in [[Albanian language|Albanian]] is formed with the help of clitics. For example:

:Nominative: ''libër'' ('book'); ''vajzë'' ('girl'); 
:Genitive: ''libri i vajzës'' (the girl's book)

If the possessed object is masculine, the clitic is ''i''. If the possessed object is feminine, the clitic is ''e''. If the possessed object is plural, the clitic is ''e'' regardless of the gender.

The genitive is used with some prepositions: ''me anë'' ('by means of'), ''nga ana'' ('on behalf of', 'from the side of'), ''për arsye'' ('due to'), ''për shkak'' ('because of'), ''me përjashtim'' ('with the exception of'), ''në vend'' ('instead of').

== Armenian ==
The genitive in Armenian is generally formed by adding "-ի":

Nominative: աղջիկ ('girl'); գիրք ('book');

Genitive: աղջիկի գիրքը ("the girl's book").

However, there are certain words that are not formed this way. For example, words with ուն change to ան:

Nominative: տուն ('house'), Genitive: տան ("house's").

==Dravidian languages==

===Kannada===

In Kannada, the genitive case-endings are:

for masculine or feminine nouns ending in "ಅ" (a): ನ (na)
* Examples: ''sūrya-na'' ('of the sun')

for neuter nouns ending in "ಅ" (a): ದ (da)
* Examples: ''mara-da'' ('of the tree')

for all nouns ending in "ಇ" (i), "ಈ" (ī), "ಎ" (e), or "ಏ" (ē): ಅ (a)
* Examples: ''mane-y-a'' ('of the house'; a linking "y" is added between the stem and the suffix)

for all nouns ending in "ಉ" (u), "ಊ" (ū), "ಋ" (r̥), or "ೠ" (r̥̄): ಇನ (ina)
* Examples; ''guru-v-ina'' ('of the teacher'; a linking "v" is added between the stem and the suffix)

Most postpositions in Kannada take the genitive case.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sridhar |first1=S. N. |title=Modern Kannada Grammar |date=2007 |isbn=9788173047671 |pages=93–94|publisher=Manohar }}</ref>

===Tamil===

In Tamil, the genitive case ending is the word உடைய or இன், which signifies possession. Depending on the last letter of the noun, the genitive case endings may vary.

If the last letter is a consonant (மெய் எழுத்து), like க், ங், ச், ஞ், ட், ண், த், ந், ப், ம், ய், ர், ல், வ், ழ், then the suffix உடைய/இன் gets added. *Examples: His: அவன் + உடைய = அவனுடைய, Doctor's: மருத்துவர் + உடைய = மருத்துவருடைய, மருத்துவர் + இன் = மருத்துவரின் Kumar's: குமார் + உடைய = குமாருடைய, குமார்+ இன் = குமாரின்

==See also==
*[[Genitive construction]]
*[[Possessive case]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last= Karlsson |first= Fred |year= 2018 |title= Finnish - A Comprehensive Grammar |location= London and New York |publisher= Routledge |isbn= 978-1-138-82104-0}}
* {{cite web |last= Anhava |first= Jaakko |year= 2015 |title= Criteria For Case Forms in Finnish and Hungarian Grammars |location= Helsinki |website= journal.fi |publisher= Finnish Scholarly Journals Online |url= https://journal.fi/store/article/view/52392/16242}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|genitive case|genitive}}

*[http://www.deutsched.com/Grammar/Lessons/0205genitive.php German genitive case] A lesson covering the genitive case in the German language
*Russian genitive: [https://web.archive.org/web/20100326035743/http://www.russian-plus.com/Cases/genitive-case.html], [http://www.russianlessons.net/grammar/nouns_genative.php], [https://web.archive.org/web/20101226014532/http://www.learnrussian.net/learn-russian-genitive-case.html]
*[http://arabic.tripod.com/GenitiveConstruction.htm Genitive Case In Arabic]

{{Grammatical cases}}
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