Beside the -s form for names (Annas Auto) and the genitive case, German shows possession with von + dative:
| genitive | von |
|---|---|
| Annas Auto | das Auto von Anna |
| das Auto meines Vaters | das Auto von meinem Vater |
| Anna's car is new. | Das Auto von Anna ist neu. |
| Karl's parents are coming today. | Die Eltern von Karl kommen heute. |
von always takes the dative: von meinem Bruder, von meiner Mutter.
| That is my mother's bag. | Das ist die Tasche von meiner Mutter. |
| My brother's bicycle is old. | Das Fahrrad von meinem Bruder ist alt. |
| My father's key is here. | Der Schlüssel von meinem Vater ist hier. |
| Our neighbor's cat is very old. | Die Katze von unserer Nachbarin ist sehr alt. |
With names, both forms are equally standard. With ordinary nouns, written German prefers the genitive (das Auto meines Vaters); spoken German prefers von.
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io
