Adjectives governing the Genitive
In German, a select group of adjectives requires an object in the Genitive case. These adjectives typically express abstract states like guilt, worthiness, or weariness, and are very common when discussing ethics and morality.
When using these adjectives, the Genitive object typically comes immediately before the adjective.
For example, to express that someone is guilty of an offense, use schuldig:
| He is guilty of the burglary and must bear the consequences. | Er ist des Einbruchs schuldig und muss die Konsequenzen tragen. |
Similarly, to say something is worthy (or unworthy) of a standard or award, use würdig:
| This behavior is not worthy of our principles. | Dieses Verhalten ist unserer Prinzipien nicht würdig. |
Being aware: sich bewusst sein
The adjective bewusst (aware) is unique because it also requires a reflexive pronoun in the Dative case (mir, dir, sich, uns, euch, sich).
Notice how the Dative pronoun pairs with the Genitive object (meiner Schuld, der Situation):
| I am completely aware of my guilt. | Ich bin mir meiner Schuld völlig bewusst. |
| Either you are aware of the situation, or you are not acting morally. | Entweder bist du dir der Situation bewusst, oder du handelst nicht moralisch. |
Expressing weariness: überdrüssig
When you are completely sick, tired, or weary of an ongoing situation, you can use the highly expressive adjective überdrüssig. Just like schuldig and würdig, the source of your weariness takes the Genitive case.
| I am weary of the constant arguments. | Ich bin des ständigen Streits überdrüssig. |
As a quick reminder for Genitive endings: feminine and plural nouns change their articles to der (with no ending added to the noun), while masculine and neuter nouns change their articles to des and add an -s or -es to the noun.
| We are completely weary of the long conversations. | Wir sind der langen Gespräche völlig überdrüssig. |
