Expressing cause with "wegen"
Some prepositions in German strictly require the Genitive case. One of the most common is wegen ("because of" or "due to").
As a quick reminder, here is how definite articles change in the Genitive:
| Gender | Nominative | Genitive |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | der | des |
| Neuter | das | des |
| Feminine | die | der |
| Plural | die | der |
Note: Masculine and neuter nouns usually add an *-s or -es to the end of the word itself.*
| Because of the economy, prices are falling. | Wegen der Wirtschaft sinken die Preise. |
| The company is closing because of the loss. | Das Unternehmen schließt wegen des Verlusts. |
When a sentence starts with a prepositional phrase like wegen der Wirtschaft, the conjugated verb must remain in the second position (sinken), immediately followed by the subject (die Preise).
Expressing concession with "trotz"
Another common Genitive preposition is trotz ("despite" or "in spite of"). It follows the exact same rules as wegen.
| Despite the crisis, the company is making a profit. | Trotz der Krise macht das Unternehmen Gewinn. |
| Despite the loss, we are working together. | Trotz des Verlusts arbeiten wir zusammen. |
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