Word
Diese Firma hat die Marktmacht dreier Länder.
Meaning
This company has the market power of three countries.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Diese Firma hat die Marktmacht dreier Länder.
haben
to have
drei
three
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
die Firma
the company
Questions & Answers about Diese Firma hat die Marktmacht dreier Länder.
Why is the number drei written as dreier here?
It is in the genitive case, meaning 'of three'. Because there is no article before Länder to show the case, the number itself takes the strong genitive plural ending -er to show possession.
What happens if I want to say 'the market power of the three countries'?
If you add the definite article, the article takes over the job of showing the genitive case (der). The number then loses its ending and reverts to its standard form: die Marktmacht der drei Länder.
Does this -er ending apply to all numbers without articles in the genitive case?
No, this specific declension is unique to zwei (zweier) and drei (dreier). For higher numbers, you cannot add -er. Instead, you would normally use the preposition von with the dative case, for example, die Marktmacht von vier Ländern.
Could I just say die Marktmacht von drei Ländern instead of using the genitive?
Yes! Using von plus the dative case is a perfectly correct and very common alternative, especially in spoken German. However, using the genitive dreier Länder sounds more formal and professional, which fits a business sentence perfectly.