Learn German: Das Gesetz schützt das Eigentum des Besitzers. - The law protects the owner's property.

Das Gesetz schützt das Eigentum des Besitzers.

The law protects the owner's property.

Breakdown of Das Gesetz schützt das Eigentum des Besitzers.

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?

No. Only masculine and neuter nouns get the -s or -es ending in the genitive. If the owner were female (die Besitzerin), the phrase would be der Besitzerin (no extra -s on the noun, and the article changes to der).

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.