Bare Genitive Plural

Level 6

In formal German, when a plural noun is indefinite (meaning 'of critics' rather than 'of the critics'), we use the genitive case. Because plural genitive nouns often look like nominative ones, we need a marker: either the article der (which then means 'the') or a strong adjective ending (-er).

How It Works

The 'Bare Genitive Plural' is a hallmark of elevated German style. It occurs when a noun modifies another noun in the plural without a specific definite article in mind.

1. The Article 'der':
In the phrase Stimmen der Kritiker, the word der means 'the' and shows the genitive plural. German has no plural form of ein, so for 'voices of critics' in general you need an adjective with an ending, or von + dative. Without der, the phrase Stimmen Kritiker would be grammatically 'invisible' as a genitive because Kritiker looks the same in the nominative.

2. The Adjective Rule:
If an adjective is present, the article is usually omitted. The adjective must then carry the strong ending -er to signal the genitive case clearly.
Example: Export hochwertiger Waren (Export of high-quality goods).

3. Substantivized Adjectives:
Nouns formed from adjectives (like Abgeordnete - delegates) already have case-marking endings. In these rare cases, the noun can stand truly 'bare' if the ending is clear: die Wahl Abgeordneter.

4. Register:
This pattern is standard in Legal German and Administrative German. In spoken German, it is almost always replaced by the von + Dative construction.

Examples (4)

  1. Die Stimmen der Kritiker wurden ignoriert.

    The voices of the critics were ignored.

    Word by Word: The voices of-the critics were ignored.

    Here 'der' is the definite article. It shows the genitive plural and points to a known group of critics.

  2. Der Export hochwertiger Waren ist entscheidend.

    The export of high-quality goods is crucial.

    Word by Word: The export high-quality-er goods is crucial.

    Because 'hochwertiger' has the strong genitive ending -er, no article is needed.

  3. Die Versammlung Gelehrter fand gestern statt.

    The assembly of scholars took place yesterday.

    Word by Word: The assembly (of) scholars took yesterday place.

    'Gelehrter' is a substantivized adjective; its ending -er clearly marks the genitive plural without an article.

  4. Wir benötigen die Hilfe erfahrener Experten.

    We need the help of experienced experts.

    Word by Word: We need the help experienced-er experts.

    A typical formal construction using a strong adjective ending to mark the genitive.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a 'truly bare' noun without any case marker.

    Der Import Waren ist gestiegen.
    Der Import von Waren ist gestiegen. / Der Import der Waren ist gestiegen.

    You cannot leave a plural noun completely bare in the genitive if it isn't clearly marked. You must use 'von' or the article 'der'.

  • Forgetting the -n ending when using the 'von' alternative.

    Ich spreche von Kritiker.
    Ich spreche von Kritikern.

    If you choose the less formal 'von' construction, the noun must be in the dative plural, which usually requires an -n ending.

How It Connects

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Bare Genitive PluralLevel 6

Learn This First

To understand the bare genitive plural, you must first be comfortable with how plural nouns are formed and how the genitive case is used to show possession or relationship between two nouns. This specific pattern is a stylistic variation where the article is omitted, often found in formal or literary German.