Breakdown of Das Gesetz schützt das Eigentum des Besitzers.
schützen
to protect
das Gesetz
the law
das Eigentum
the property
der Besitzer
the owner
Questions & Answers about Das Gesetz schützt das Eigentum des Besitzers.
Why is it des Besitzers with an -s at the end?
This is the genitive case, which shows possession. Besitzer (owner) is a masculine noun. In the genitive case, masculine and neuter nouns take the article des and add an -s (or -es) to the end of the noun.
Why does des Besitzers come after das Eigentum instead of before it?
In German, genitive phrases almost always come right after the noun they describe. While English says "the owner's property", the German structure is literally "the property of the owner" (das Eigentum des Besitzers).
Would a feminine noun also get an -s at the end in the genitive case?
Is das Eigentum in the nominative case since it uses the article das?
It is actually in the accusative case because it is the direct object being protected by the law. However, for neuter nouns like Eigentum, the accusative article (das) looks exactly the same as the nominative article.
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