Case endings on noun
In a few specific cases the nouns themselves take case endings, not just the determiners (i.e. indefinite and definite articles, possessives etc.) standing in front of them as illustrated above. These few cases need to be noted. 19 All masculine and neuter nouns take an -(e)s ending in the genitive case in the singular; monosyllabic nouns may take -es rather than simply -s in more formal sounding language, but you will never be wrong if you simply add -s, except if the noun itself ends in s, ß or z, when -es must be used, e.g:
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der Name seines Sohn(e)s (his son’s name)
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hinter dem Baume (behind the tree) Generally speaking, these days this ending is limited to standard expressions, e.g. zu Hause (at home) Nouns of all three genders must add an n in the dative plural if the plural form does not already end in -n, e.g. in den Zimmern ( pl. Zimmer)(in the rooms) |
